Koran Page Burner Derek Fenton Fired From NJ Transit Job
Do you think he should have been fired for burning pages of the Koran in public on a street in New York City on September 11, 2010? He was off duty. His employer states that he was an "at will" employee, meaning he can be fired for any or no reason. However, I have seen mixed reactions, and some feel that his employer could still get in trouble for this.
Several neighbors in Fenton's town stood up for his right to express himself with flames.Here is coverage of the 9/11 event from Russia Today:
"Good for him for burning the Koran," neighbor Jacqui Marquez, 40, said.
"Everybody's entitled to their opinion ... by firing him, they're sending a message that there's no freedom of speech. They're completely wrong for doing this."
"He's a family man," neighbor Randy McConnell, 43, said.
"He loves his kids and he loves trains. I don't agree with what he did, but he shouldn't lose his job over it. That's his right."
If Fenton was fired for burning the Koran while off-duty, his First Amendment rights probably were violated, Chris Dunn of the New York Civil Liberties Union said.
"The Supreme Court has recognized a constitutional right to burn the flag. As reprehensible as it may be, burning the Koran would be protected as well."
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