A federal judge in NY ordered NY’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority to display on their buses a very controversial ad. The ad refers to Muslims killing Jews. The judge rejected the argument that displaying the ad might incite terrorism or put people in harms way.
EDITOR’S NOTE: To those of you who are confused by this story, you are not alone. These ads were not placed by a Muslim group, they were placed by AFDI, a group run by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. Even I wasn’t quite sure immediately what was happening here. These ads are a reaction to a previous ad campaign that was run by Muslims called “What’s Your Jihad?“.
“U.S. District Judge John Koeltl in Manhattan said the ad from the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which had previously run in Chicago and San Francisco, was protected speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The ad portrays a menacing man wearing a scarf around his head
and face, includes a quotation “Killing Jews is Worship that draws us
close to Allah” attributed to “Hamas MTV,” and then states, “That’s His
Jihad. What’s yours?”
Koeltl said he was “sensitive” to the security concerns, but noted
that the MTA and Chairman Thomas Prendergast “underestimate the tolerant
quality of New Yorkers and overestimate the potential impact of these
fleeting advertisements. It strains credulity to believe that New
Yorkers would be incited to violence by ads that did not incite
residents of Chicago and San Francisco.”
MTA buses and subways are often forums for policy debates. The agency
has accepted other ads from the American Freedom Defense Initiative,
which is characterized as an anti-Muslim group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Koeltl delayed enforcing his preliminary injunction by 30 days so the MTA could decide whether to appeal.
Adam Lisberg, an MTA spokesman, said: “We are disappointed in the
ruling and are reviewing our options.” The ad includes a disclaimer that
its display does not imply an MTA endorsement.
The MTA said the ad did not meet standards it adopted in 2012 after a
judge, in another lawsuit by the American Freedom Defense Initiative,
said its earlier ban on ads that demeaned people based on race or
religion violated the First Amendment.
Koeltl, however, said the MTA did not show that the latest ad could
prompt imminent violence, noting that none occurred in Chicago and San
Francisco, or that New York City should be treated differently because
it is a more prominent terrorism target.
David Yerushalmi, a lawyer for the American Freedom Defense
Initiative, said the decision follows similar rulings in Washington and
Philadelphia.
“There is no question that transit authorities have the right and
duty to protect their riders from violence,” Yerushalmi said in a phone
interview. “They do not have the right to give terrorists or potential
terrorists a ‘heckler’s veto.’ source
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