Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Ban on desecrating terrorist flags challenged
WorldNetDaily ^ | July 10, 2007 | © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

Posted on 07/10/2007 3:54:07 AM PDT by OneHun

BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS Ban on desecrating terrorist flags challenged Lawsuit filed on behalf of students in anti-terror protest Posted: July 10, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

College Republican member argues with Palestinian supporter at Oct. 17 anti-terrorism rally at San Francisco State University (Photo: Golden Gate Xpress)

A lawsuit filed by the Alliance Defense Fund is targeting the speech codes imposed on students by the university system in California after several students were prosecuted for the "desecration" of flags used by terrorist groups.

"America's colleges and universities should recognize the constitutional rights of Christian and politically conservative students just as they do for all other students," said David French, senior legal counsel for the ADF and chief of the ADF Center for Academic Freedom.

"Officials at San Francisco State are required to respect the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right to free speech in exactly these kinds of situations," he said.

As WND reported earlier, the university decided – after months of pressure – not to punish College Republicans who had been accused of desecrating the name of Allah by stepping on makeshift Hezbollah and Hamas flags at an anti-terrorism rally.

Led by the non-profit advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the public and some media outlets had called on the school to "uphold the students' constitutionally guaranteed right to free expression."

"We are relieved that SFSU has come to its senses and recognized that it cannot punish students for constitutionally protected expression," FIRE President Greg Lukianoff said at the time. "But the fact remains that the university should never have investigated or tried them in the first place. This was a protected act of political protest, and it is impossible to believe the university did not know that from the start."

The trouble began at an Oct. 17 anti-terrorism rally in which the students stepped on butcher paper painted to resemble the flags of the Middle East terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah. The College Republicans say they simply copied the script from an image on the Internet and didn't know it bore the name of Allah in Arabic script.

A student who is not a member of the club had filed a complaint with university officials after the protest.

The student claimed that the Republican students engaged in "acts of incivility" and "intimidation" and created a "hostile environment" by publicly walking over the terrorist flags.

"I believe that the complaint is [about] the desecration of Allah," a university official told The San Francisco Chronicle.

SFSU President Robert A. Corrigan eventually wrote that the Student Organization Hearing Panel "unanimously concluded that the College Republicans organization had not violated the Student Code of Conduct and that there were no grounds to support the student complaint lodged against them."

But French said the speech codes led to a "burdensome, unnecessary investigation and five months of ridicule and harassment for these students," even though they did nothing but exercise their constitutional rights.

The ADF lawsuit now asks the court to strike down the ill-defined speech code policies of SFSU and the entire California State University system at issue in the investigation.

"The university could not even find enough evidence to find them guilty of any wrongdoing. It's time for these speech codes to go so that this doesn't happen to these students or any other students ever again," he said.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: adf; flag; sfsu; terrorism; terrorists

1 posted on 07/10/2007 3:54:09 AM PDT by OneHun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: OneHun
The university should have known instantly that a complaint involving a dispute about religious doctrine was outside of their jurisdiction.

Time to get a new administration.

Oh, yeah, the "doctrine"? That's whether or not it is possible to desecrate "Allah", per se, or is the Moslem God a big boy well able to defend himself with lightning bolts and that sort of thing.

2 posted on 07/10/2007 3:59:22 AM PDT by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah

Since Allah causes all things to happen, as per the terrorists, then he must have wanted, and let, that flag with his name on it be trampled.

Allah willed it, case closed.


3 posted on 07/10/2007 4:03:15 AM PDT by PeteB570 (Guns, what real men want for Christmas)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: PeteB570
Wouldn't say that in your friendly neighborhood Wahabi mosque though.

It's OK here in FR.

4 posted on 07/10/2007 4:06:45 AM PDT by muawiyah
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: muawiyah
"Time to get a new administration."

 

That time is way overdue for most of the colleges.  Their forceful PC/leftwing indoctrination of students is similar to communist dictatorship.

5 posted on 07/10/2007 4:10:30 AM PDT by OneHun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: OneHun
I think a HUGE market for palestinian flag, syrian flag and iranian flag TOILET PAPER! It would give a whole new meaning to... well... you get the idea!

LLS

6 posted on 07/10/2007 4:14:00 AM PDT by LibLieSlayer (Support America, Kill terrorists, Destroy dims!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: OneHun

SFSU President Robert A. Corrigan eventually wrote that the Student Organization Hearing Panel “unanimously concluded that the College Republicans organization had not violated the Student Code of Conduct and that there were no grounds to support the student complaint lodged against them.” But French said the speech codes led to a “burdensome, unnecessary investigation and five months of ridicule and harassment for these students,” even though they did nothing but exercise their constitutional rights.

Does this remind anyone else of the bogus Duke Rape Case?


7 posted on 07/10/2007 4:16:32 AM PDT by rbg81 (DRAIN THE SWAMP!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PeteB570
"Since Allah causes all things to happen, as per the terrorists, then he must have wanted, and let, that flag with his name on it be trampled.

Allah willed it, case closed."

 

And, don't forget all the cartoons about Mohamed!

8 posted on 07/10/2007 4:17:15 AM PDT by OneHun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: rbg81

“Does this remind anyone else of the bogus Duke Rape Case?”

Yes, and usually it points to some leftwing zealot who has no problem stepping over the legal border (i.e. Nifong)


9 posted on 07/10/2007 4:31:07 AM PDT by OneHun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: OneHun

I wonder how they would feel if it was an American flag being burned?


10 posted on 07/10/2007 5:11:20 AM PDT by Stark_GOP
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Stark_GOP

If it were an American flag being burned or desecrated in some way, these left wing zombies would have been screaming that they were merely exercising their constitutional rights to free speech. These idiots are so predictable. They hate our country, hate our flag, etc, but as soon as they are challenged, they wrap themselves in the very flag of the country they hate so much and whine about their constitutional rights. They should all spend a few months in cuba, pakistan, gaza, yemen, north korea, or some other jihadist/commie hell hole to see how good they have it here.


11 posted on 07/10/2007 5:41:01 AM PDT by American Infidel (It's pronounced 'ASK' not 'AXE'. It's a 3 letter word. How difficult can it be?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: OneHun

Well, if allah is so great then I’m sure that he will be able to take care of the matter in his own way and time.


12 posted on 07/10/2007 5:44:01 AM PDT by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson