A Maryland student who assaulted one of his classmates for sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance did get his message out as a video of the incident that he recently posted on social media soon went viral. But it also got him into trouble, has drawn a condemnation from the public, and if anything has propelled his victim to call upon others in the Winters Mill High School community to respond by joining him in demonstrating free speech.
In the recording, the pledge is heard projecting from a classroom speaker as the attacker calmly walks up behind the sitting student and proceeds to kick the chair from under him. The student then quickly picks himself up off of the floor and turns around to see his attacker continue on towards the back of the room, and about face to observe the remainder of the pledge without breaking stride. Before long the incident was exposed to followers on Instagram with a caption that read, "Some people don't understand how disrespectful it is to sit during the pledge or national anthem and deserves to get there a** kicked. More of y'all need [to] stand up to these jacka**es that sit during the pledge. If you have an issue with what I did today talk to me about it not your little buddy's behind my back. #standthef***up #america #dumbass #hedeservedmore #bitch”
According to Carrol County public schools' director of student services, Dana Falls, the student responsible for the vicious act has been disciplined, although he has declined to elaborate on the punishment he faced. The West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette Supreme Court case of 1943 establishes under federal law that students cannot be forced to observe the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem. Falls told a local news outlet that Carrol County honors the law, stating, “The school cannot punish the student for not standing for the pledge.”
The student who was attacked in the incident has since taken to social media to give his reasons for sitting during the pledge, and to rally for support, writing: “I was practicing my right to free speech, a right given to me by the soldiers that I do respect, unlike what he says. I simply will not stand and pledge allegiance to a country that is run by a racist, sexist, bigoted, fascist. I will not stand for a country who mistreats those who aren’t white and rich. Forced patriotism is fascism, and nothing less. So I invite all to join me tomorrow, and #sitthef***down if you believe that free speech is a fundamental right of the people and that it should be protected."
Source: Daily Mail
