A Pennsylvania government website cited the First Amendment and freedom of speech after receiving backlash for an “anti-Trump” event posted on their calendar.
The website for Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services includes two events on their calendar, one of which is labeled as an “anti-Trump press conference” to be held on Jan. 5 at 11 a.m.
“The event is an event that was received via an application through our office of special events,” explained Troy Thompson, the Press Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services in a statement to the Daily Caller. “The event was approved under the First Amendment right, freedom of speech, expression of speech.”
PA Govt Web Portal Advertises ‘Burning Trump Flag’ Event https://t.co/khJ6OeLfg0
— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) January 3, 2021
“We post all of our events online on our events calendar, not for the purpose of advertising them,” Thompson added. “But, letting other individuals know what areas of the Capitol complex have already been reserved for events.”
The description of the press conference describes the burning of a “trump [sic] 2024 flag in a fire safe container.” (RELATED: Portland Protesters Set Fire To Trump Flag)
The press conference as advertised on the website is set to be held at Soldier’s Grove, a memorial that is located behind the Pennsylvania State Capitol. Soldier’s Grove is a memorial that is known for honoring and listing the names of the recipients of Pennsylvania’s Medal of Honor, extending back to the Civil War.
Set to take place thirty minutes after an “election integrity” protest, the “press conference” follows months of unfounded allegations of voter fraud from President Trump and his legal team. The Trump team has repeatedly asserted without evidence that the election was stolen following President-elect Joe Biden’s election win in November.
Pennsylvania was among the handful of states that the Trump campaign filed lawsuits in during their efforts to overturn the election results.