A reported 100 vehicles showed up to rally outside a high school in Edmond, Oklahoma, on Monday after students were told they could not fly the American flag.
The demonstration happened at Edmond North High School where locals gathered to push back against Edmond Public Schools’ (EPS) flag rule, which has drawn much criticism, Fox 25 reported.
An image shows the truck belonging to a young man who initially flew the American flag:
Students are not allowed to display or bring any kind of flag on campus to limit distraction and create a safe environment, an EPS spokesperson said.
Video footage shows a line of vehicles at the campus with large American flags:
High School Senior Caleb Horst said he was told Wednesday that he was not allowed to fly the American flag flying on the back of his truck, KOCO reported Thursday.
“I’ve never really had a problem with it before and it’s our First Amendment, so it’s kind of hard for them to infringe upon our rights, you know?” he told the outlet:
“In the end, we’re all American, we’re all united under that flag so there’s not much anybody can do to separate us,” he added.
In a video posted Monday, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters slammed the rule and said, “No school in Oklahoma should tell students they can’t wave an American flag”:
We’ve had Americans die for that flag, die for students to have the right to carry the flag, to wave the flag, to be proud of that American flag. My department right now is working on guidelines that we will be issuing to districts to ensure that no student is ever targeted for having an American flag. And also that our schools will promote patriotism. We want our young people to be patriotic, we want them to love this country. And we’re going to continue to support our young people to have the greatest understanding of American history and the country and to be proud of our country.
In a post on Thursday, Walters noted that “EPS has a history of prioritizing woke agendas over our history and our freedoms. We will investigate and I will act”:
A Facebook group that organized the rally said its purpose was to highlight patriotism and the meaning of the American flag, the Fox 25 report said.
A Vietnam veteran named Eddie Beesley also attended the rally to show his support, according to the X account Libs of TikTok:
An Army veteran who is also showing support for the demonstration told KOCO he hopes other people will stand up with the group of young people. He does not believe the flag should be confined in rules or what is or is not allowed on campuses.
“The American flag is the exception, because we fought for it,” he said:
The outlet noted that EPS said it displays the American flag in the proper, respectful way outside its buildings and inside classrooms.
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