Two vocal pro-Trump Republicans are suing two California event venues over allegations they had violated their rights to free speech.
Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-FL) filed a suit in the Central District of California on Thursday, alleging that two venues in Anaheim and Riverside had violated their First Amendment rights after the city officials pressured them into canceling contracts. The pair of Republicans had attempted to host events in the two cities as part of a series of America First rallies in 2021.
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The First Amendment gives the two Republican lawmakers the freedom to use such locations “on the same basis as other organizations and political figures without regard to their viewpoint or the viewpoint of speakers at their event,” the lawsuit argues.
The city of Riverside declined to comment on the suit. Anaheim has “not formally received the claim but are aware of it and will be reviewing,” a spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times.
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The pair was initially scheduled to speak at the Pacific Hills Banquet & Event Center. However, the venue’s manager opted to cancel the event after learning that Gaetz and Greene were speaking. It was later moved to the Riverside Convention Center, but the city began to receive complaints.
The Center’s management canceled the event due to discrepancies in the certificate of insurance it had been provided, the lawsuit claimed. The group had to move the event to a private venue in Anaheim 24 hours before the event.
