Although Salt Lake’s original plan for downtown free-speech zones during the Winter Games allowed from 10 to 100 protesters, the new plan allows 500 in Pioneer Park alone and permits an unlimited numbers in parades that would be allowed between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was pleased with the changes after calling the original plan “First Amendment tokenism”.
Stephen Clark, legal director of the ACLU’s Utah chapter, said, “our preliminary reaction is that the city seems to have taken the responsibility to accommodate free speech seriously”.
Mayor Rocky Anderson said the final plan balances First Amendment rights with public safety concerns.
“We have done everything in our power to create safe, visible and meaningful opportunities for people to express their opinions near the Olympic action while providing for the safety and security of those who live and work in Salt Lake City and for our visitors”, he said.
