Patriot Group Protests Cinco de Mayo Ban on American Flag T-Shirts
First Amendment organization characterized as “racist”
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
May 5, 2014
A protest against a California school district’s decision to ban the wearing of American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo has begun this morning, with demonstrators displaying large flags and banners outside Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill.
The demonstration stems from an incident in 2010 when four students at the school were told by assistant principal Miguel Rodriguez to turn their shirts inside out or go home because the American flag designs were seen as “offensive” to Mexican students on Cinco de Mayo, a day on which Mexicans celebrate their heritage.
The incident led to a lawsuit, Dariano v. Morgan Hill Unified School District, in which students claimed their First Amendment rights had been violated. However, in February the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the school, asserting that the threat of racial violence as a result of the t-shirts trumped the right to free speech. The case is set to be heard by 11 judges after another appeal was filed.
“The practice of limiting one group’s free speech rights because that speech might cause another group to react violently is known as the “heckler’s veto.” It is understood by free speech enthusiasts to have a chilling effect on First Amendment rights,” writes Robby SoaveI.
A group calling itself the Gilroy-Morgan Hill Patriots arrived this morning to display large American flags outside the school as students arrived for classes.
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