Angry mob arrives in hundreds to stop student's flag-burning protest for 'human rights' of terror suspects
An angry mob stormed a university campus yesterday to stop a student burning the U.S. flag in support of the 'human rights' of suspected terrorists.
Louisiana State University student Ben Haas widely advertised his 'free speech' protest on social networking sites in an attempt to draw attention to the supposed maltreatment of those suspected of terrorism.
But the event did not go quite as planned after patriotic students turned up in their hundreds, booing loudly, heckling and chanting 'USA! USA!' in a huge counter-protest which stopped him from going through with his threat.
Many of the angry mob arrived draped in the national flag as they recited the pledge of allegiance and sang the national anthem.
They threw water bombs as Haas attempted to address the crowd, with one dressed in military uniform shouting: 'My brothers died for you.'
Others could be heard screaming: 'Go to hell, hippie, go to hell.'
Haas, a communication studies graduate, was escorted away by police for his safety before he could finish reading out his statement.
'Free Speech Alley' is a long-standing tradition at LSU dating back to the 1960s, where students can exercise their right to free speech and free expression.
Haas's protest came a week after another student faced the wrath of patriots on campus for successfully burning the national flag.
He claimed he wanted publicly to perform the symbolic gesture to stand in support of criminal suspects who have not yet been proved guilty.
The statement he planned to make, which could be seen on a sheet of paper he held in front of him, read: 'It is funny, Facebook said that there were only going to be 64 of you.
'I initially began this flag burning protest to define due process for students and suspected terrorists alike, to call on LSU and universities across the country to defend basic human rights and avoid putting students into the criminal justice system when it can be taken care of internally.
'Solidarity means standing with those who are treated as guilty until proven innocent, instead of the other way around.
'That's what freedom is, standing with those who express their constitutional rights in ways that may be unpopular, especially the accused and the marginalised no matter the consequences.'
Haas claimed he had cancelled plans to burn the flag 'in the name of peace' before the mob arrived and he was escorted away.
Other students were furious at the plan to burn the national flag.
One said: 'Men and women are dying for our country and we have people here burning our flag. That is an outrage.'
LSU stood by the right of a student to free speech on campus.
'With our commitment to free speech occasionally comes events that offend our standards and values,' LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said.
'Burning an American flag offends the vast majority of the LSU community. Still, freedom of speech ensures that even objectionable expressions of opinion will exist.
'While we accept this reality, please join me in continuing to express our support for this great nation and the symbols that represent it.'
Martin added that he was pleased the student changed his mind and opted not to burn the flag.
'I’m happy that after talking to university officials and realising how many people are against flag-burning, that he thought better of it,' Martin said.
'This is what a flagship university, and Free Speech Alley, is all about – good civil discourse, dialogue between all parties and discussions of diverse opinions. This is how students learn from each other and grow as people.
'I also thought today brought out a wonderful display of patriotism among the students conducting the counter-protest.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...g-protest.html
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