A New Jersey township that came under fire for banning the American flag from being used as a “prop” during town council meetings has tried to apologize for the “confusion” after the council president had a resident escorted out of a meeting for holding one.
Edison Township became embroiled in controversy after Council President Nish Patel proposed an ordinance aiming to restrict the use of “props” during the public comments in late November, according to the Edison Reporter.
While O.2239-2024 did not specifically name these items, when Patel was directly asked if it would allow for the U.S. flag and Constitution, he responded, “any props will be considered not conducive to good order and as the President I am making that call.”
During a debate over the ordinance, Council Vice President Margot Harris asked, “How are props as an expression not part of the First Amendment?”
The controversy grew when Edison resident and lawyer Joel Bassoff was removed from a town council meeting by police for holding a personal-sized flag as a form of protest against the rule, Fox News reported.
Video from the meeting shared by The Garden State Instagram account shows the moment Patel ordered cops to escort Bassoff out:
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“It’s my constitutional right to do this,” the lawyer said, before telling the council president that he will “lose” a legal battle over the ordinance, which received applause from other residents.
“Your position should be forfeited. By your actions, you forfeit every right to preside over this meeting,” Bassoff continued, as the cops attempted to get him to sit down.
“Officers, if you can have him removed,” Patel asked into the microphone, a move vocally supported by another member of the panel.
Despite Bassoff already returning to his seat, the officers followed the council members’ directions and ejected him from the meeting.
The video garnered hundreds of critical comments, with some saying that “This is why NJ will be red in the next election.”
“As a left-leaning voter, this is unconstitutional,” another commenter wrote. “Every American has the right to hold any flag or decorum of their country, culture, or heritage as long as it doesn’t harm others.”
Joe Romano, the vice president of the Edison Board of Education, also voiced his negative opinion of the ordinance at the meeting. In a statement to Fox News, he said the other residents were “shocked” when Patel ordered Bassoff’s removal.
“People get elected, and they think that because I got elected, I know better and to be perfectly honest, it’s a power trip,” Romano said. “I’m sorry. That’s the way it is. You’re supposed to be there to represent the people. All the people. Not half, all of them.”
After being threatened with a lawsuit from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Patel apologized for the “confusion” surrounding the prop ban.
“Let me be very clear. The Edison Council has never, nor will we ever ban the American flag from our public meetings,” Patel said in a statement to the outlet. “Our nation’s flag as well as our state’s flag are both prominently displayed in our council chamber. We proudly and humbly begin each council meeting with the pledge of allegiance to our flag…”
“It was never, ever, the intent of this council to ban the American flag,” he added. “If any of my remarks during the previous council meeting implied that, I apologize.”
Edison Mayor Sam Joshi also denied that the U.S. flag was ever “banned” in a Wednesday Instagram post:
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Councilman Richard Brescher, who was one of two council members who voted against Patel’s ordinance, called it “un-American and unconstitutional.”
“That’s what I call B.S.,” he told Fox News of Patel’s apology.
“Many towns in this country have issues with elected officials trying to silence the public and ours is no different,” he continued. “They took it too far by calling the flag a prop.”
Brescher added that the ordinance has still not been repealed, even after Patel and Joshi issued apologies.
“If you really meant that you didn’t mean what you said in the video we all saw, then you repeal it. This is typical of my mayor and his four councilmen,” he said, before saying that Patel is in Joshi’s “pocket.”
“They lie. They tell you it was a mistake, but they don’t repeal the law so it will still be illegal in Edison…that’s what they’ve been doing here consistently, just trying to shut the public down from speaking and saying what they’re allowed to say by law because we live in one of the freest countries in the world.”
