Christmas is traditionally a time to wish for “peace on earth, goodwill to men” — but a group of carolers say that the City of Detroit censored them because of their message calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Wednesday, members of the Detroit Ceasefire Choir sent a letter to the City of Detroit accusing its hired security guards at Campus Martius Park of kicking them out, in violation of the city’s free speech ordinance.
The thirteen activists gathered at the Christmas tree at Campus Martius on Dec. 30 to sing carols and call for an end to Israel’s U.S.-backed violence in Gaza, carrying a banner that read, “Peace and Joy — Ceasefire Now.” Other signs used by the group read “love thy neighbor,” “stop funding genocide,” “permanent ceasefire,” and “end antisemitism and islamophobia.”
The carolers say that they were then ordered to leave by members of Detroit 300 — a “community action group” that the city hired to manage security at the popular downtown park — allegedly because they were “singing about a controversial topic,” according to the letter.
“It was so disappointing to hear that we would be welcome if we were just singing Christmas carols, but couldn’t sing for ceasefire in Palestine,” Detroit Ceasefire Choir member Kim Redigan said in a statement.
The Detroit Ceasefire Choir says it returned on Jan. 5 and was again turned away by security. Both times, it says its members were peacefully protesting and not blocking traffic.
The letter was sent on behalf of the Detroit Ceasefire Choir by the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School (CRLI), which is representing the group. (Full disclosure, the CRLI is also representing Metro Times in a lawsuit requesting data from Michigan State Police.)
“If the First Amendment means anything, it means that people are free to protest in public parks,” Jillian Snyman, a CRLI student attorney, said in a statement. “It is particularly disturbing that our clients were censored when Detroit has already enacted a free speech ordinance that specifically allows protest in Campus Martius.”
That ordinance was enacted in 2015 after the ACLU of Michigan filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Detroit and Detroit 300 for preventing housing activists from peacefully protesting in Campus Martius Park.
The ordinance allows up to 25 people to assemble at the park without a permit as long as they do not use public amplification devices or demonstrate within ten feet of the park’s outdoor dining area, on the ice rink, on stages, or in tents.
The letter asks the City of Detroit to abide by the free speech ordinance, provide training for Detroit 300 and other security personnel about the ordinance, and publish the free speech rules on signs at Campus Martius and on the Campus Martius website, as well as the names and contact information of City of Detroit and Detroit 300 officials for activists to call in case of problems.
Metro Times sent requests for comment to both the City of Detroit and Detroit 300 and will update this article with their responses.
