Man Arrested in Protest Over Flag
Police arrested one protester Thursday and ordered others away from a Little Saigon video store whose owner won a court ruling this week allowing him to hang a Communist Vietnamese flag.
A small group of demonstrators spent the day waiting for Truong Van Tran, who was released from a hospital where he had been taken after collapsing Wednesday during a confrontation with protesters. But Tran said he will wait until the weekend to rehang the flag and a photo of Ho Chi Minh.
About 20 Westminster police officers handed out fliers in English and Vietnamese, warning protesters to back away from the shopping complex where Tran rents space. While most of them peacefully moved out to the sidewalk on Bolsa Avenue, one man was arrested for charging at police.
The landlord’s attorney had asked police to enforce a temporary restraining order saying that protesters cannot demonstrate in a way that interferes with businesses.
It was the latest in a monthlong controversy that began when Tran put the items in his store, triggering a furious protest from the Vietnamese American community.
On Wednesday, the judge in the case reversed an earlier ban on the items, ruling that Tran’s activities are protected by the Constitution.
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