Governor Blames the Court System For Violating Free Speech Rights; Senator says, 'This is an Outrage'
In what is shaping up to be a major embarrassment for all branches of Alaska’s state government, Governor Sean Parnell yesterday blamed the Alaska Court System for blocking pro-life protesters and impeding their free speech rights.
He stated that, on Tuesday, “the Court System requested the Department of Administration use state vehicles to park in front of the protesters.” The Governor’s statement on Wednesday about the Tuesday fiasco acknowledged just one Department of Administration vehicle and made no mention of the Alaska Court System’s involvement in its use to block the protesters.
The Governor’s statement yesterday not only blamed the Court System for Tuesday, but also noted that on both days in question, “employees of the Legislature parked vehicles in front of the protestors.”
Juneau has still made no comment on the alleged assault and other improper behavior, including the forced removal of a sign, that occurred on Wednesday (you can see of video of what happened HERE).
Interestingly, Alaska’s media did not report on what happened in Juneau until Friday, days after Restoring Liberty informed Alaskans about what happened. This is despite the fact that a reporter was present on Wednesday who observed the protest and questioned the participants after the alleged assault.
We have demanded an investigation into what happened on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Those who have committed unlawful and/or improper acts should be held accountable.
The Governor’s and/or Legislature’s investigation must also get to the bottom of why the Alaska Court System would direct state resources outside its jurisdiction to violate protesters’ First Amendment rights.
Here’s what one Senator said to his colleagues about this “outrage” yesterday:
