On Monday, Fox News Digital reported that Joel Bassoff, an Edison resident and attorney, was removed by police from a town council meeting for holding a small American flag in protest of a new rule that bans such items, including the U.S. Constitution and other “props” from the public comment portion of town meetings.

Residents immediately rejected the new rule, arguing during a five-hour meeting on Nov. 25 that it was in violation of their First Amendment rights and a “disgusting” attempt to assert unwarranted power from the dais.

Joe Romano, the vice president of the Edison Board of Education who spoke out against the ordinance at the meeting, told Fox News Digital that the room was “shocked” when Council President Nishith Patel ordered police to remove Bassoff from the chamber simply for holding the American flag.

“People get elected, and they think that because I got elected, I know better and to be perfectly honest, it’s a power trip,” Romano said of the council president. “I’m sorry. That’s the way it is. You’re supposed to be there to represent the people. All the people. Not half, all of them.”

The new ordinance caught the attention of free speech advocacy group, The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), who told Fox News Digital that it is considering taking legal action against the town council “to protect Joel’s First Amendment rights — and the rights of every citizen of Edison, NJ.”

“Edison Township can expect to hear from FIRE in short order,” the organization said.

When questioned about the potential lawsuit by Fox News Digital, Patel appeared to walk back his decision on the flag ban, apologizing for the “confusion” in a statement addressing the fallout.

“Let me be very clear. The Edison Council has never, nor will we ever ban the American flag from our public meetings,” Patel wrote. “Our nation’s flag as well as our state’s flag are both prominently displayed in our council chamber. We proudly and humbly begin each council meeting with the pledge of allegiance to our flag…”

“It was never, ever, the intent of this council to ban the American flag,” he continued, emphasizing that the American flag is not referenced in the official ordinance.

“If any of my remarks during the previous council meeting implied that, I apologize.”

Mayor Sam Joshi also addressed the backlash in a statement on Instagram, writing, “Our nation’s flag has never ever been banned nor will it ever be banned in our municipal complex…

“I have spoken to the council president regarding this matter and he has humbly apologized and issued his official statement for the confusion surrounding the recently passed decorum ordinance,” Joshi said.

While Bassoff’s interaction with the town council quickly went viral, he wasn’t the only resident who protested the flag ban in contentious exchanges with the council president that night.

“I have spoken to the council president regarding this matter and he has humbly apologized and issued his official statement for the confusion surrounding the recently passed decorum ordinance,” Joshi said.

Landscaper Russ Azarello, who walked up to the podium holding several small American flags like Bassoff’s, told the council that he “just can’t comprehend [how] someone holding the Constitution or the flag…disturbs the meeting.”

Patel immediately warned him to put the flags away, according to footage of the exchange. “I’m going to have to warn you that those are props and those are against – if you continue holding them…” he said, as Azarello spoke over him.

“How does this disrupt the flow of the meeting? Azarello shot back. “Holding this is my expression of freedom of speech. If that is offensive to someone then you’re in the wrong country.” He explained that he comes from a family of service members and has three folded flags in his home.

Michael R. Burns, Edison township attorney, quickly came to Patel’s defense.

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