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There have been several attempts to pass bills making flag burning illegal in Australia, none of which have yet been successful. In Coleman v Kinbacher & Anor (Qld Police), Coleman was successfully prosecuted for flag burning, not because of its political nature, but because given the size of the flag, the use of petrol as an accelerant, and the fact that it was in an open park area, many members of the public experienced "concern, fright and anger", and in these circumstances flag burning could be considered disorderly conduct. However, flag desecration must be compliant with the law. Main article: Flag of Australia Legality įlag desecration is not, in itself, illegal in Australia.
#16 years in jail for burning gay flag code
The Penal Code (Código Penal) on its Article 222 criminalizes the public desecration of the national flag, coat of arms, national anthem, or any provincial symbol, imposing from 1 to 4 years of imprisonment. In 2010, an Algerian court convicted 18 people of flag desecration and punished them by up to 6 years of imprisonment and $10,000 in fines after protests about jobs and housing. According to article 160 bis of the Algerian penal code, the intentional and public shredding, distortion, or desecration of the national flag is punishable by 5 to 10 years of imprisonment. In countries where it is not, the act may still be prosecuted as disorderly conduct, arson, or if conducted on someone else's property as theft or vandalism.īy jurisdiction Algeria It may also be a protest at the very laws prohibiting the act of desecrating a flag.īurning or defacing a flag is a crime in some countries. It may be a protest against nationalism or a deliberate and symbolic insult to the people of the country represented by the flag. It may be a protest against a country's foreign policy, including one's own, or the nature of the government in power there. įlag desecration may be undertaken for a variety of reasons. With files from CTV News Toronto’s Abby Neufeld.Actions that may be treated as desecration of a flag include burning it ( flag burning), urinating, defecating or ejaculating on it, defacing it with slogans, stepping upon it, damaging it with stones bullets or any other missile, cutting or ripping it, improperly flying it, verbally insulting it, dragging it on the ground, or eating it, among other things. “As a learning community, we are committed to increasing our individual and collective skills and understanding to clearly confront racist acts and to ensure our school environment is safe and aligns with PDSB’s values of educating our learners through an anti-racist, anti-oppressive lens,” he added.Īnyone with information is asked to contact police at (905) 453-2121, ext. “I am truly sorry for the harm caused by this incident,” Mcleod wrote. In a letter to CPSS families, principal Tyler Mcleod said that the involved students sent the video to fellow 2SLGBTQIA+ students. The identities of the youths will not be released as they are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.īoth of the teens have been referred to the Youth Pre-Charge Diversion Program.Īfter the video surfaced online, the Peel District School Board (PDSB) also launched an investigation. On June 17, police arrested two 16-year-old male youths from Mississauga in connection with the incident. Police said the flag burning is considered a hate-motivated incident. It is alleged that the involved individuals are students at Cawthra Park Secondary School (CPSS) in Mississauga. On June 8, police received a report of a video showing a rainbow Pride flag burning on the ground while people were laughing in the background.
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Two teenage boys from Mississauga have been arrested after a video of a burning Pride flag surfaced on social media, Peel police say.