Posted on 04/12/2006 12:56:34 PM PDT by JeffersonRepublic.com
Edited on 04/12/2006 1:43:35 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
A Tucson man was arrested Tuesday for his role in the burning of a Mexican flag as part of a counterprotest at a pro-immigration rally.
At about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Tucson police cited Roy Warden, 58, on suspicion of assault, criminal damage and reckless burning, and then released him, according to Sgt. Decio Hopffer.
Video footage shot Monday by police and the media showed Warden assaulting a TV cameraman and a photographer, Hopffer said. Because only one of the men pressed charges, there is only one assault charge.
Warden faces the criminal-damage charge for harm done to the concrete shuffleboard court where Warden's group was burning the Mexican flag, Hopffer said.
Warden and his group, Border Guardians, arrived at Armory Park just after noon Monday to stage a counterprotest to the 15,000 marchers who were protesting what they see as unfair immigration laws. At about 2:15 p.m, they burned Mexican flags and tempers flared.
Police arrested two girls for throwing water at Warden and his group, and a scuffle broke out as police escorted them away. On Monday, Tucson police arrested six people on charges of aggravated assault on a peace officer, interfering with governmental operation, hindering prosecution and disturbing the peace.
Hopffer said police are still reviewing tape of the scuffle.
Warden said the charges are a direct result of political pressure from the Mexican Consulate.
"If they saw something unlawful, why didn't they commit an arrest then?" Warden said.
He said he plans to represent himself at his court hearing on April 24 and said he's confident he will clear himself of charges. In addition, he said he plans to sue the cameraman for defamation of character and denying his right to free speech.
Another member of Border Guardians, Laine Lawless, called the arrest a petty way to punish the group for its dissenting voice.
March organizers also questioned why it took police so long to make the arrest. They have a requested a meeting with city officials for Thursday to discuss the issue, said Zoe Hammer, spokeswoman for Border Action Network, one of the local human-rights groups that organized the march.
Nothing to see here. Keep moving.
Good things his friends were on hand to pee on it and put the flames out.
hmmmmm thousands of illegals marching and protesting yet they arrest the AMERICAN CITIZEN burning the flag.
Why does this not surprise me?
After, but not for, the flag burning. Let's not make more of this that there really is.
" Good things his friends were on hand to pee on it and put the flames out."
I would hate to see what the Mexican-American justice system would do to a man caught peeing on the Mexican flag.
I don't see a charge for burning the flag. He is being charged with assault and criminal damage.
Its already been established that flag-burning is free speech.
Right?
Paragraph markers.
Learn them. Love them. Use them.
criminal-damage charge for harm done to the concrete shuffleboard court
--
Oh the humanity!
It's OK to burn an American flag, though. After all, American patriots are only here to pay taxes and support the illegals and anti-American democrats anyway.
Well, there's also that pesky assault charge.
How does burning a flag damage concrete?
That way folks could mis-read the article, rather that just mis-reading the title. ;)
They should have been so busy rounding up illegals for deportation that they had no time for anything else.
Assault (a geniune charge that should be looked into)
And
Reckless burning (yeah?)
Haven't you read? It's the seriousness of the accusation. There doesn't have to be a real crime to be found guilty in America, you know.
Warden, Hammer, and Lawless? Strange...................
Ok, lemme get this straight. ICE was well aware of hundreds of illegals within a small area, but no laws were enforced. The Mexican Consulate forced police to arrest a legal American citizen for burning a foriegn flag. Is that about it? Remind me again how many illegals have burned American flags and spit our good will.
Oh BS.... assualt is not a crime...it is just an undocumented a$$ kicking.
Well...I don't know what happened here....when you start assaulting folks, the cops find all sort of other things that they may have otherwise ignored.
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