The students, charged under an obscure anti-KKK law, face up to a year in jail.

  • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    edit-2
    10 months ago

    It’s phrased as “unauthorized advertisement in a newspaper or periodical."

    They had a parody ad for Israel birthright travel services and I think that’s what they’re being charged for - absurd.

    • 4am@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      10 months ago

      They wrapped the real newspaper with their parody version and left them in the newsstands. The law, as I understand, was created for the purposes of preventing the Klan from doing the same thing with recruiting flyers back in the day.

      Now, to charge these students - black students, apparently? - using that same law for this situation is obviously absurd and gross; but that’s what is allowing them to do it since the “problem” isn’t the content, it’s the distribution method.

      We all know they were just pissed about the content, but they found a loophole to bring charges outside of content objections (which are 1st amendment protected). Here’s hoping whoever hears their case has some sense.

    • Kairos
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      10 months ago

      It’s not an advertisement actually.

        • Kairos
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          10 months ago

          For anyone wondering there was no money changing hands. No commerce no ability for the government to regulate it. It’s protected under the first amendment.