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January 1, High School Students Kicked Out of Smithsonian for Wearing Pro-Life Beanies

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A group of Catholic high school students and their chaperones were kicked out of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for wearing beanies embroidered with pro-life messaging.

Last month, students and chaperones from Our Lady of the Rosary School in Greenville, South Carolina, traveled to Washington, D.C., for the annual National March for Life. The group all wore matching blue beanies with the phrase “Rosary PRO-LIFE.”

A student’s mother took to Twitter to share details of the incident, saying that her daughter had called her and told her that “a dozen kids from Greenville just got kicked out of the Air & Space Museum for wearing Pro Life hats.”

“They were told to remove their hats or leave,” the mother continued, adding that her daughter explained to staff that they were wearing the hats to find each other in the crowd. “KICKED OUT for refusing to remove!”

https://twitter.com/KihneSheila/status/1616557777077391381?s=20&t=ODGxQEf782nA7C7IF6Qptw

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is representing the parents of some of the students involved, claimed that the museum staff “accosted” the students, and hurled insults and expletives at them. The students were reportedly told that the museum was a “neutral zone” where political or religious messages were not allowed.

“This is a clear and egregious abuse of the First Amendment, which protects their right to free speech without government interference, and we are ready to take action,” ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow said. “A government institution cannot censor an individual’s speech, much less speech from the inherently Christian pro-life position.”

The ACLJ noted that the Smithsonian Institution is a federal entity that receives more than $1 billion from the government each fiscal year.

Lawmakers react to the incident

South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott tweeted: “South Carolina students were kicked out of a taxpayer-funded building for expressing their beliefs. Absolutely outrageous violation of free speech.”

Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, tweeted: “This wouldn’t happen to students wearing ‘Defund the Police’ or ‘Free Palestine’ shirts. Bias against conservatives runs deep in our culture & gov.”

The Smithsonian apologizes, says it ‘provided immediate retraining’

A spokesperson for the Smithsonian Institution apologized for the incident in a statement, saying that the situation didn’t meet their policy or protocols.

“Asking visitors to remove hats and clothing is not in keeping with our policy or protocols. We provided immediate training to prevent a re-occurrence of this kind of incident, and have determined steps to ensure this does not happen again,” the spokesperson said.


Source: Fox News

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. CA Norton

    February 6, 2023 at 11:56 pm

    If the only reason to wear matching beanies wa to be able to find each other in a crowd, why did they choose a provocative statement? Seems to me it was deliberate. If I had been there I would have cheered the Smithsonian for insuring the Museum was indeed a neutral zone. Thry could have turned the beanies inside out. But no–they had to make an issue of it. I don’t go to Museums for politics. Keep it outside, regardless of the hot topic.

    • Barbara

      February 7, 2023 at 3:05 am

      Unbelievable. It’s as if you don’t even know what free speech is all about. You aren’t entitled to neutral zones where no opinions (by which I mean opinions you disagree with) are expressed. Your opinion is offensive to me but I cherish your right to express whatever opinion you want even if I think it’s ridiculous. Get on board or find a country that openly suppresses free speech. Then you’ll understand what a cherished right it is to have free speech.

      • Mark Davison

        February 7, 2023 at 5:20 pm

        Agree with you Barbara

    • chas

      February 7, 2023 at 6:07 pm

      Take a course in our constitution, then respond!

  2. Don

    February 7, 2023 at 8:32 am

    Shut it down. it’s worthless anyway.

  3. Sam Abt

    February 7, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    Reply to CA Norton:
    Are you suggesting that if a person goes in with a BLM shirt that they should be turned away unless they turn it inside out to hide the message? Or are you the one to determine what is provocative and what is not?
    Hypocrisy at its finest!!!

  4. ROSEBUD

    February 14, 2023 at 9:52 am

    YOU MUST BE A DEMOCRAT!! “YOU’RE THE REASON AMERICA IS IN TROUBLE TODAY, BECAUSE YOU FIGHT THE
    RIGHT TO “SPREAD THE “TRUTH”! THESE KIDS SHOULD BE “”CHEERED”” FOR STANDING UP FOR “THE RIGHT FOR
    “””LIFE”””!!!! IF THEY’D WORN “ABORATION RULES”, THEY’D HAVE BEEN “”WELCOMED WITH OPEN ARMS””!!!

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