Two college students in Connecticut who hung variations of the American flag on their dorm window have said their flags were targeted by the administration after an official pulled their flags down but left LGBT flags up for days after the incident.
Trinity College roommates Finn McCole and Lucas Turco said the college officials removed two American flags with modified designs typically associated with right-leaning viewpoints from their dormitory window.
The official who removed their flags said the dean ordered it. The students told the official her actions were violating their First Amendment right to freedom of speech, according to a video recording of the incident.
“No prior request was made for us to remove the flags,” McCole told Fox News. “The two women from administration showed up at our dorm and said we have an official order from the dean to remove them immediately.”
When McCole asked to speak to the dean, the official called campus facilities to bring a ladder to their dorm, he said.
“The woman then ripped the flags down, as seen on video,” he said.
The Epoch Times contacted Trinity College for comment.
The flags in question were variations of the American flag, one with the Gadsden “Don’t Tread on Me” graphic and the other the “Thin Line” variation.
The Gadsden flag, depicting a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow background, has been a symbol against government tyranny dating back to the times of the American Revolution. This flag has recently been labeled a symbol of far-right ideology by those on the left.
The “Thin Line” variation of the American flag represents an expression of support for law enforcement, with different variations for the different services.
McCole reportedly said the flags were hung up on Wednesday night and taken down on Thursday morning, Fox News reported.
Captured on Video
The popular conservative Libs of TikTok account on Twitter shared a video of the incident shot by one of the students. The video shows a female college official on a step ladder pulling the flag off the exterior of a stone building.
.@TrinityCollege forcibly removed a student’s “don’t tread on me” American Flag and a red, blue, and green line flag. Meanwhile pride flags are allowed to stay hanging. pic.twitter.com/AG892oaRyv
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 31, 2022
The students ask why the official is only removing their flags, but not the flags hanging in other windows.
“Everyone’s going to be requested,” she says.
“You’re targeting us,” says the first speaker, who holds the camera. It’s not clear if this is McCole or Turco.
The college official then tells the first student to put his phone away, but he objects.
“Absolutely not. I have every right to record, and you know that. This is America. We have the First Amendment right of freedom of speech, freedom of expression. I don’t know why you’re taking my flags down,” he says.
The official then asks another staff member standing off-camera to call “campus safety.”
The students continue to question why their flags are being taken down, but other students’ flags aren’t.
In the video, when the first student asks again if the official is going to take down the other flags, she says, “Everyone’s being asked to take them down.”
“So, they’re being asked, but our flags are being ripped off,” the first student says. “Right? They’re being asked but our flags are being ripped off. You think that’s right?”
The second staff member, who identifies herself as the director of housing operations, says they’re waiting for directives from the dean about the other flags.
The university only sent out its email to students about its policy days after the incident, according to McCole and Turco. Libs of TikTok shared a screenshot of the email.
“Regardless of the content, all items hanging or posted outside of your windows need to be removed and placed within your room immediately,” the email partially states.
The Epoch Times has contacted Turco for further comment.
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Caden Pearson is a reporter based in Australia. Contact him on caden.pearson@epochtimes.com.au
