Flag Burning Crackdown: Trump's Executive Order Sparks Free Speech Concerns
President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at prosecuting those who burn the American flag, sparking criticism from free speech advocates. The order seeks to clarify the First Amendment's scope on flag desecration. Civil rights groups raise concerns about its impact on free speech rights.
In a controversial move, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday, directing the U.S. attorney general to enforce strict penalties on individuals who desecrate the American flag, drawing backlash from free speech advocates across the nation.
The order mandates the attorney general to aggressively prosecute those violating flag desecration laws and to pursue legal action to redefine the First Amendment's limits on the matter, despite the U.S. Supreme Court's 1989 decision affirming flag burning as a protected free speech act.
Civil rights advocates express alarm over the broader implications on free speech under Trump's administration, citing previous actions perceived as suppressing dissent and tightening immigration controls, under the guise of addressing 'anti-Americanism.'
(With inputs from agencies.)
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