Civil rights advocates and human rights experts have raised concerns about free speech over multiple actions taken by the Trump administration since taking office in January.
These include threatening colleges with federal funding cuts over pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel’s military assault on Gaza, attempts to deport foreign protesters, immigration rules that call for rejection of visa applications and immigration benefits for certain people, and reviews of museums over their depictions of US history.
Trump casts his effort as a means to tackle what his administration has called “anti-Americanism.”
“Desecrating (the U.S. flag) is uniquely offensive and provocative. It is a statement of contempt, hostility, and violence against our Nation,” the order said.
The Trump administration said in the order that First Amendment rulings by the Supreme Court have not protected actions such as American flag desecration that are likely to incite “imminent lawless action” or actions that amount to “fighting words”.
