A Staten Island lawmaker has introduced a new bill that would ban Black Lives Matter — and other “political” — flags from flying atop United States embassies.
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis introduced The Stars and Stripes Act of 2021 Friday as a response to a decision by the State Department to fly the group’s flags at their embassies around the world to mark the one year anniversary of the police custody murder of George Floyd.
The BLM flag flown at the Athens embassy was reportedly so enormous it covered the United States seal.
“It is inappropriate for President Biden and Secretary Blinken to authorize and encourage the display of inherently political flags that are in no way affiliated with the U.S. Government over American embassies overseas,” Malliotakis, who also reps part of southern Brooklyn, said in a statement.
The freshman rep, who has taken issue with BLM’s push to defund police departments, said flying the organization’s symbol is an “insult to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our flag and our nation.”
The bill was co-sponsored by Malliotakis’ upstate colleague Rep. Elise Stefanik, who signed her name as the newly powerful House GOP Conference Chair.
“Our beautiful American flag should fly over our U.S. embassies around the world – not the flag of a political organization founded by Marxists,” Stefanik said.
The bill has little chance of passing in the Democratic controlled House or becoming law.