“Clapping Is a First Amendment Right:” An Interview With the Person Arrested for Clapping at a Data Center Meeting
www.404media.co
"I have a right to speak. I'm here to speak. I have a right to clap, and if you want me out, you're going to have to drag me out."

Last Wednesday, Lux Claridge planned to speak out against a proposed 1,000 acre data center in their town of Emporia, Kansas. They left in handcuffs after a city commissioner ordered them arrested for clapping.

  • sik0fewl@piefed.caEnglish
    2·
    4 hours ago

    I think it’s just to not disrupt the proceedings. If you want to speak to an issue you can register as a delegation.

    I’m reminded of a funny incident during a recent Calgary council meeting where a delegation was asked to stop clapping — they could continue singing, but I guess clapping is against the rules of decorum: https://youtu.be/UQRi4FpEj34 at about 4:55.

    • LePoisson@lemmy.world
      1·
      3 hours ago

      My whole point is that if someone is clapping or booing or otherwise reacting to a person speaking and they’re not actively disrupting the speaker it shouldn’t be a problem.

      I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect people to not react or be silent when talking about stuff that impacts them directly and as long as it’s not very clearly outright hate speech or disrupting a speaker then it should be okay.

      Rules of decorum are fine and all but when they’re used as a cudgel to silence expression from constituents at a town hall that’s bad.