No, he should stand and fight, break the HOA for violating his constitutional right of free speech.
Baloney.
I have a friend who is a lawyer that specializes in condo/HOA association law. He tells me these things come up all the time with the HOA boards he represents. He always advises them to enforce these laws mercilessly -- even for seemingly harmless signs and displays.
As he told me about a recent case in a nearby HOA: "If you don't force a homeowner to take down his Alabama Crimson Tide flag today, you will not have the authority to force his neighbor to take down his Nazi flag tomorrow."
They’re not the government. He signed on. He pays his membership. He’s stuck with the rules. The constitution does not stop you from signing your rights away.
He should take to social media, the media, and posters on telephone poles and publicize the names and addresses of the HOA commandos. Don’t let them be the board. Freeze the target, personalize. Alinsky rules on them.