US Judge Rules Burning Israeli Flag as ‘Racial Hate,’ Making It the Only National Flag Americans Cannot Burn
Washington (Quds News Network)- A federal court has issued a ruling that redefines the boundaries of free speech in the United States. Judge Trevor N. McFadden ruled that ‘desecrating’ the Israeli flag is not political expression but racial discrimination.
The decision means burning, tearing, or grabbing the Israeli flag can be prosecuted as hate conduct. By contrast, the US Supreme Court has long protected the burning of the American flag under the First Amendment. Citizens remain free to burn the flags of all fifty US states and every other nation. Only Israel’s flag now carries legal protection against desecration.
The case originated from protests in Washington last fall. Zionist activist Kimmara Sumrall wore the Israeli flag draped around her shoulders. An anti-genocide demonstrator pulled it away. Police arrested the demonstrator, but a criminal court later acquitted her.
Sumrall then filed a civil rights lawsuit with support from the National Jewish Advocacy Center. She argued that pulling the flag amounted to racial discrimination. Judge McFadden agreed.
“Purposefully yanking on an Israeli flag tied around a Jewish person’s neck is direct evidence of racial discrimination,” McFadden wrote. He described the Star of David on the flag as a symbol of “the Jewish race.” He further compared attacking the flag to using a racial slur against Black people.
The ruling effectively merges the political symbol of the State of Israel with Jewish identity worldwide. No other national flag has ever been granted this status in US courts.
Civil liberties advocates warn the ruling undermines decades of precedent protecting political expression. Critics say it opens the door to criminalizing protest and silencing dissent on US soil.
