The protester who burned pages from the Koran outside a planned mosque near Ground Zero has been fired from NJTransit, sources and authorities said Tuesday.
Derek Fenton’s 11-year career at the agency came to an abrupt halt Monday after photographs of him ripping pages from the Muslim holy book and setting them ablaze appeared in newspapers.
Fenton, 39, of Bloomingdale, N.J., burned the book during a protest on the ninth anniversary of Sept. 11 outside Park51, the controversial mosque slated to be built near Ground Zero.
He was apparently inspired by Pastor Terry Jones, the Florida clergyman who threatened to burn the Koran that day but later changed his mind.
NJ Transit said Fenton was fired but wouldn’t give specifics.
“Mr. Fenton’s public actions violated New Jersey Transit’s code of ethics,” an agency statement said.
“NJ Transit concluded that Mr. Fenton violated his trust as a state employee and therefore [he] was dismissed.”
Fenton was ushered from the protests by police on Saturday and questioned, but he was released without charges.
“He said, ‘This is America,’ and he wanted to stand up for it, in a Tea Party kind of way,” a police source said.
Another police source said Fenton described himself as a “loyal American” exercising his “right to protest.”
But the source said Fenton looked like he was having second thoughts as he was released.
“He looked nervous, like he was starting to think it wasn’t such a good idea,” the police source said.
Described by neighbors as a likable family guy with two children, Fenton was an assistant train-consist coordinator, sources said – a job that entails ensuring there are enough train cars positioned to be put into service. He previously worked as an NJ Transit conductor.
Several neighbors in Fenton’s town stood up for his right to express himself with flames.
“Good for him for burning the Koran,” neighbor Jacqui Marquez, 40, said.
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion … by firing him, they’re sending a message that there’s no freedom of speech. They’re completely wrong for doing this.”
“He’s a family man,” neighbor Randy McConnell, 43, said.
“He loves his kids and he loves trains. I don’t agree with what he did, but he shouldn’t lose his job over it. That’s his right.”
If Fenton was fired for burning the Koran while off-duty, his First Amendment rights probably were violated, Chris Dunn of the New York Civil Liberties Union said.
“The Supreme Court has recognized a constitutional right to burn the flag. As reprehensible as it may be, burning the Koran would be protected as well.”
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(Source: NY Daily News)
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13 Responses
Why should he have been fired? Isn’t that freedom of speech as the Ground Zero IMMAN advocates.?
This is an outrage –
I abhor his position, but I defend his right to express it – NJT is wrong for firing him – and it is an outrageous over reaction on their part.
The code of ethics issue is misstated here. If he were doing this on the job, or if he were conspicuously in an NJT uniform at the time of his protest – that would be one thing, as public sector codes of ethics prohibit conduct that could reasonably be deemed offensive to an an protected class of people (age, race, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and marital status). But he wasn’t – he was on his own time in the public arena.
He is probably protected by the First amendment, and I know that many will say he did a good thing.
But what if it had, G_D forbid, been a Chumash or worse?
I don’t agree with Mr Fenton’s actions but he has right like every other American citizen to express himself. If he was fired because he burned the Koran then his first ammendment rights were violated.
Just to recall: It was only May of 1933 when the Nazis held their infamous book burning event at Bebelplatz in Berlin.
Nobody is denying this man his constitutional right to burn books, but condoning his behavior is certainly another thing. Good for NJTransit.
PomonaBubby, Nobody has condoned his behavior only his right to do what he did. Just like the imam claimed the “right” to do what they’re doing. It’s reprehensible but none the less protected.
PomonaBubby, for you to compare this man’s burning the Koran to the Nazis, YM”SH burning Seforim is repugnant and historically inaccurate. Actually there was an Islamic SS unit during WWII. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem met with Hitler, YM”SH. Shame on you!
WRONG, NJT DID THE RIGHT THING FOR FIRING HIM,
WHY???
becouse #1 this man painted a target on his back
many muslims now want to kill him for as long as he is alive and if he is working there he is putting everyone else there that work with him at risk of danger of their lives
#2
no matter what CHUTZPA the muslims have for building the mosque on ground zero
(WHICH I AGREE IS A BIG CHUTZPA)
you just dont go ahead and BURN A HOLY BOOK (the koran)CONSIRDERED THE WORDS OF GOD BY THE MUSLIMS
AS PROTEST
doing such a thing is prohibited and cowardly and not human or sensitive and truly disgusting
I MEAN HOW LOW CAN SOMEBODY FALL TO DO THAT
YOUR PLAYING WITH FIRE
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF (CHAS-VISHALOM, they burn the torah)
how would jews react
NO MATTER HOW MANY BAD MUSLIMS THERE ARE AND TERRORISTS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD
you dont insult a religion as a whole by doing the COWARDLY ACT OF BURNING THE KORAN,
PERIOD!!!
Comment 5, Did you notice that nobody here condoned his behaviour?
Now, to you and the Moose and to whom this may concern, when we speak of anti semitism we are talking about things way worse than this. The Seforim burning that we mourn was when they confiscated all our seforim, many of them were unique and rare, and burned them. Definitely it would be offensive to us, but so would someone yelling that he is the real jew and we are mistaken and forsaken.
#9,
candoning somebody and defending somebody
is basicly the same thing,
i have noticed that most of the people on this comment thread is DEFENDING NJ TRANSIT for the fireing of the Koran Burner and
Derek Fenton’s the Koran burner’s actions
SO IT APPEARS THAT MOST OF YOU COMMENTING HERE
HAVE INDEED CONDONED THE KORAN BURNER’S BEHAVIOUR
and for all of you
claiming FREE SPEACH
and that his first ammendment constitutional rights were supposedly violated
LET ME PLEASE INFORM ALL OF YOU
canducting a ACT OF HATE
is a VERY SERIOUS CRIME
over here in america
the actions of the KORAN BURNER
WAS 100% AN ACT OF HATE
AND A MAN GUILTY IN A HATE CRIME
COMMITTED ON PUBLIC STREETS
HAS NO BUISSNES HAVING A JOB
WITH NJ TRANSIT
WHICH IS PART OF A PUBLIC TRANPORTATION SYSTEM
PERIOD!
obama is not muslim (debateable) – take a chill!
If Muslims who on 9/11 where burning US flags and dancing on the streets of Patereson, NJ and NOTHING was done to them, then you better believe that I hope nothing is done to this man. Do I agree with his actions? No But should EVERYONE be granted the exact same freedoms? Heck yea.
(p.s. I would bet you that Mr. Fenton had no problem with Muslims or their Mosques before they wanted to build it basically on the burial plot of 3,000 Americans so no, I dont feel sorry for the Muslims, they are bringing this hate on themselves)
#10. You couldn’t be more wrong. He has 1st Amendment rights, this includes the right to say or do something most people would abhor.
BTW, if he burned our Flag, would you defend him then, or does the 1st Amendment apply only when you & Obama agree with the person?
People its time to wake up the muslims keep on quoting from the koran that killing etc. Is the right thing to do how could someone even think of comparing to “lehavdil” the torah when would any kind of jewish person ever quote any hate from the torah.
I am sure that mr. Fenten has a lawyer figuring out his rights and like joe the plumber he will become a politician now.