At least 100 angry protesters vented their fury Monday night against a decision by a Minnesota city council to ban the Pledge of Allegiance, Fox News reported Wednesday.
The group reportedly stormed the council chambers, waved American flags and shouted “U.S.A.!”
St. Louis Park city council announced its decision following a unanimous vote, saying it was banning the pledge in consideration of the city’s “diverse community.”
St. Louis Park is located in Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s congressional district. (RELATED: A City In Minnesota Got Rid Of The Pledge Of Allegiance. It’s Backfiring)
“We concluded that in order to create a more welcoming environment to a diverse community we’re going to forgo saying the Pledge of Allegiance before every meeting,” Councillor Tim Brausen said before voting.
Homeless U.S. military veterans salute the flag during the Pledge of Allegiance at a “Stand Down” event hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs on Nov. 3, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Councilmember Anne Mavity sponsored the ban, telling local NBC affiliate KARE 11 that she doesn’t believe the pledge is relevant, especially for illegal immigrants.
“Not everyone who does business with the city or has a conversation is a citizen,” she told the station . “They certainly don’t need to come into city council chambers and pledge their allegiance to our country in order to tell us what their input is about a sidewalk in front of their home.”
St. Louis Park Mayor Jake Spano is reportedly wavering on the pledge ban, saying that not enough time and deliberation was spent on the decision to stop reciting the pledge. Mavity suggested things could merit further discussion. (RELATED: California Community Colleges Board Of Trustees President Says Goodbye To Pledge Of Allegiance Over ‘White Nationalism History)
Children recite the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the school day at the federally-funded Head Start school on Sept. 20, 2012 in Woodbourne, New York. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Minnesota Republican Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan told “Fox & Friends First” on Wednesday that she was present at the Monday night meeting, where she said she heard councillors making “disturbing” remarks.
“One of the gentlemen, Tim Brausen, said evidently Minnesotans are upset because we are playing with their hallowed traditions. So it was just this air of superiority and very disturbing all around,” she told Fox.
Carnahan expressed her desire for the councillors to respond to the public outcry over its decision to ban the pledge and understand “the error of their ways.”
