Supporters of former President Donald Trump in Cape Coral, Florida, have been flying flags reading, "F--- Biden, and F--- you for voting for him," which has become a point of concern for some parents who say their young children have read the explicit message.
"I talked to a lady, [and she] said, 'Well, it doesn't really offend me. It's just the fact that I have small kids and they read it,' and I'm like, 'Well, sorry,'" Tony Paparone, who flies a flag bearing the message, told KDFW.
PResident John Strasburger, who put up the banner, said he was undeterred by complaints from neighbors. "I feel the election was stolen, I think the evidence was there to prove it," he told local TV station Fox4Now.
WATCH TRUMP: EUROPE HAS OPENED IT'S DOORS TO JIHAD
Paparone and John Strasburger invoked their First Amendment rights, claiming their flags are protected speech. "Freedom of speech," Paparone declared. "You're not going to rewrite the Constitution."
WATCH DUKE PROFESSOR: STUDENTS VIEWING THE WORLD AS OPPRESSOR VS. OPPRESSED
A representative for the city agreed, stating Cape Coral does not regulate the messages written on flags.
"The City’s sign ordinance only addresses the number and size of signs. It does not regulate the content of flags or signs," Maureen Buice, a senior public information specialist employed by the city, wrote to the Washington Examiner via email.
KEVIN SPACEY'S DARK SECRETS EXPOSED IN NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES
At least one of the owners of the flags announced he has no intention of taking the flag down.
"If there was an ordinance, I would take it down tomorrow, but there's not, so it's going to remain up," Strasburger said.
IDIOT ALERT: CEO PRAISES RADICAL PROTESTERS, FACES IMMEDIATE BACKLASH
Tom White, who lives near Strasburger, told Fox4Now he had no problem with the flags, although he might not have worded his political beliefs so strongly.
"It's his property and his opinion, and his right to voice his opinion. And even though it's more colorful than I would mind, I see that as his right," White said.
BIDEN AND MARK HAMILL'S "STAR WARS DAY" VIDEO: A GALACTIC SUCCESS OR EPIC FAIL?
Other controversies involving politically charged flags have snagged headlines across the country in recent weeks.
For instance, Michael Challans of Montana pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation for an altercation with a neighbor over an anti-Trump flag that read, "Trump Lost: LOL." Challans was ordered to pay a fine of $100, in addition to court costs totaling $85 before he was mandated to head to a police station for fingerprinting and a mug shot, and he apologized to the neighbor during sentencing.
TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAK: HEALTH EMERGENCY DECLARED IN CALIFORNIA, ARE YOU AT RISK?
And in Ohio, one resident's flag voicing support for the former president was set on fire earlier this month.
ELITE UNIVERSITIES FACE A NEW CRISIS: OUTRAGED PARENTS
Representatives for John Gunter, mayor of Cape Coral, did not immediately reply to request for comment.
Claims of voter fraud in last year's presidential election have been emphatically rejected by the courts. Donald Trump and his allies lost more than 60 lawsuits challenging the results in various states, and no evidence of widespread irregularities has been found.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
