"The American Civil Liberties Union says The Force, errr, First Amendment is with Sam O'Hara, filing a lawsuit on his behalf after he was handcuffed and detained after following National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. playing the Darth Vader theme from the Star Wars film franchise. President Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops and sent ICE agents into multiple U.S. cities during this first year of his second term, claiming it is necessary to combat crime and illegal immigration. The interference from the feds has invoked strong objections from many of the political leaders and local residents of these areas, with multiple lawsuits filed by elected officials and numerous protests leading to an additional round of lawsuits as protesters argue the federal government is violating their free speech rights."
"O'Hara's TikTok account, @freedc20009, features dozens of videos of him walking behind or standing near National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., using his phone or a small Bluetooth speaker to play The Imperial March, John Williams' famous musical theme that accompanied the appearance of Darth Vader in Star Wars films beginning with The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. Featured prominently in key plot points throughout the various sequels and prequels in the franchise, The Imperial March has been used for years in politically-themed videos and protests to oppose oppressive authoritarian regimes."
"The videos posted by O'Hara mostly show the troops ignoring him, and in some cases, even appearing to enjoy the cinematic soundtrack he was providing for their deployment. In the below clips, one Guard member is seen smiling and another is bopping his head along to Williams' infectious melodies. @freedc20009 #freedc original sound freedc20009 @freedc20009 #freedc original sound freedc20009 Most of the time, O'Hara is ignored by the National Guard troops."
Sam O'Hara followed National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., playing The Imperial March from Star Wars and was handcuffed and detained. The ACLU filed a lawsuit on his behalf alleging a First Amendment violation. The Trump administration deployed National Guard troops and ICE agents to multiple U.S. cities during the first year of the second term, citing crime and immigration enforcement. Local leaders and residents filed multiple lawsuits and staged protests arguing federal interference and free speech violations. O'Hara's TikTok account, @freedc20009, shows numerous videos of him playing the theme while troops mostly ignore or sometimes appear to enjoy it.
Read at www.mediaite.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]