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.
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.
In a statement to the Epoch Times, Turco said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by the actions of the college official.
“[T]he catastrophe of speech censorship is an imminent threat to our democracy that need be resolved,” he said.
According to the Trinity College Student Handbook: “No objects of any type (including liquid), may be thrown, dropped, pushed out of, placed outside of, or allowed to fall from any residential building window. Students found responsible for such actions will face residential censure.”
“This event has highlighted the need for more consistent enforcement of handbook rules, and the college is working with the student body to create awareness and compliance,” a Trinity College spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“The dean of student life is addressing the issue with the entire student body to ensure compliance with the handbook and has reiterated the rule to the student body in a communication this week. The dean’s office will directly work with students for more consistent enforcement.”
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.
Captured on Video
The popular conservative Libs of TikTok account on Twitter shared a video of the incident shot by Turco. The video shows a female college official on a step ladder pulling the flag off the exterior of a stone building.In the video, Turco asks 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 Turco, who confirmed he was holding the camera.
The college official then tells Turco 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 Turco 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,” Turco 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.
“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.
