by Jeremy Roebuck and Michael Matza
Philadelphia Inquirer
March 12, 2015
SEPTA’s efforts to block city bus ads proclaiming “Jew Hatred: It’s in the Quran” violate free-speech protections and should be halted, a federal judge has found.
“These ads are despicable and false, but fall under First Amendment protections,” Jacob Bender, executive director of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Thursday. “We have no problem with the judge’s ruling, but have a great amount of antipathy for AFDI pushing a clearly hate-inspired, anti-Muslim message on the citizens of our fair city. One can only imagine the revulsion that tens of thousands of Muslim citizens will feel getting onto SEPTA buses and trolleys” bearing the ad.
“The First Amendment protects everyone, the hateful and the loving alike,” added CAIR staff attorney Ryan Tack-Hooper. “Instead of suppressing dishonest and offensive speech, the American tradition is to respond with speech of our own. You can be sure we will.”
