San Francisco State University: Students Investigated for Stepping on Flags

The College Republicans at San Francisco State University thought they were engaging in one of the most important acts of free assembly and expression when they demonstrated against recognized terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas. Unknown to the students, the flags of the two organizations, which were walked over in the demonstration, contain the word "Allah" in Arabic script. Another student complained, alleging "acts of incivility," "intimidation," and the creation of a "hostile environment." The school responded with disciplinary action against the College Republicans. The College Republicans claimed that SFSU's speech codes were facially invalid, and with the help of the Alliance Defense Fund and the support of FIRE's Speech Codes Litigation Project, sued the university. The lawsuit ultimately resulted in an injunction against SFSU, effectively striking down the speech codes for the entire California State University system.