A federal court has issued a ruling that redefines the boundaries of free speech in the United States. Judge Trevor N. McFadden ruled that ‘desecrating’ the Israeli flag is not political expression but racial discrimination.
The decision means burning, tearing, or grabbing the Israeli flag can be prosecuted as hate conduct. By contrast, the US Supreme Court has long protected the burning of the American flag under the First Amendment.
Isn’t burning a flag to proper way to dispose of it without technically desecrating it? I swear i read that somewhere.
You’re at least partially correct. Ceremonial Burning is the proper way to dispose of the US flag source. They do specify it should be done in a respectful manner, but a disrespectful burning is protected political speech (until now, I guess).