Hi, I just saw the current protests that surged due to Netanyahus speech in the US. I’m just curious to know why the authorities permit them burning the American flag and vandalism of monuments.
How do freedom of speech laws work in the United States and where’s the line drawn to the action one can take when protesting.
My goal isn’t to discuss politics, so abstain from taking the thread to that direction.
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The first amendment grants citizens the freedom of speech, and the right to assemble. Protestors are allowed to get together on any public property, and protest. They are not allowed to assemble on private property(without permission of the property owner). I’m allowed to set fire to anything I own. If I own a flag, I can burn it. I’m not allowed to take someone else’s flag and burn it.
Vandalism is not legal, because it is damaging to property that the protestors do not own. However, you have to remember that to enforce a law, you need manpower. If 100 people get together and spray paint a monument, it takes sometime for enough cops to show up to arrest people and break up the protest. If 1,000, or 10,000 show up, it’s even harder.
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