NH Group Asks To Fly Christian Flag At Boston City Hall
BOSTON (CBS) -- Flag raisings are common at Boston City Hall, but leaders are refraining from one group's request to raise their flag.
The New Hampshire Christian organization, Camp Constitution, runs programs about Judeo-Christian heritage. They want to fly the Christian flag on the City Hall Plaza.
"This is separation of church and state and we've never flown any type of religious flag on City Hall Plaza," Mayor Marty Walsh said.
Hal Shurtleff is the director of the group. He helped the group apply for a permit to raise the white flag with a blue corner and red cross.
"This is public property and people from various backgrounds have the right to access that property," he said.
Walsh said the action would be "inappropriate."
The notion of separation of church as state comes from the First Amendment, which says in part: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."
Shurtlett said that flying the flag, though would, not represent support.
"I don't know how my flag, or our flag, on what is really what's considered a public access flagpole, will somehow indicate that Boston has become an officially Christian state or official city."
According to Walsh, the city would consider a request from the group that involved a non-religious flag.
Lawyers from the group said they planned to sue the city if their demands to raise the Christian flag were not met.
