Editor:

Recently, I was finishing my Christmas shopping on Main Street, in front of Crossroads Plaza, when I witnessed an ordinary event. On the public sidewalk, a mall cop detained a powerless looking youth and made him remove a patch from his clothing which read “Nazi Punks F— Off.”

This is a well known political slogan from the leftist rock band The Dead Kennedys.

This type of behavior is unacceptable.

In limiting dissent, minorities often are forced into positions where the only alternative is aggression, which promotes instability. Furthermore, despite this university’s policy of allowing various hairstyles as well as provocative clothing, radicals are often not tolerated by administrators and police. Any animal rights activist or neo-Nazi can tell you that.

The act of limiting freedom exists not only from Utah’s religious institutions but from any individual in power who does not agree with an opinion and consequently acts to silence it. Freedom of expression in this country means that you must be able to tolerate a fellow citizen advocating that which you would spend a lifetime fighting.

Enrique Arce-Larreta

Senior, Political Science and Mechanical Engineering