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(LifeSiteNews) — Catholic students were expelled from one of America’s most important museums for refusing to remove hats which expressed their pro-life beliefs. 

On Friday, January 20, following the 50th Annual March for Life in Washington DC, a group from Our Lady of the Rosary School in Greenville, South Carolina was kicked out of the federally-funded Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for wearing hats emblazoned with the words “Rosary PRO-LIFE.”  

“My daughter just called from DC [:] a dozen kids from Greenville just got kicked out of the Air & Space Museum for wearing Pro Life hats,” tweeted the mother of one of the students later that evening. “They were told to remove their hats or leave. Daughter told man they had to wear [them] to find each other in crowd. KICKED OUT for refusing to remove!” 

“They didn’t get the phone out soon enough [to record] – said the entire thing happened in under a minute,” the mother continued in response to queries. “But a lot of students witnessed the intimidation.”  

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The mother also mentioned on Twitter that another individual was allowed to express her ideological beliefs, a woman in a LGBT “Pride” mask, without being driven from the museum.  

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a pro-life legal organization specializing in “constitutional law with an emphasis on First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly, and exercise of religion,” responded to the story on Twitter, offering legal assistance 

“As a non-profit law firm specializing in 1st Amendment pro-life free speech law, we saw your tweet and are astounded!” they wrote. “We’d like to talk with you and see if any action can be taken. Services are pro bono. Please DM us, and we’ll connect.” 

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According to an article by the ACLJ, the federally-employed Smithsonian staff told the students that the museum was a “neutral zone,” and that they would have to remove their hats if they wanted to stay. ACLJ also stated that the staff called the students by “expletives” and were mocking them before kicking them out. 

“This was a clear-cut First Amendment violation, not only of their freedom of speech but of religion as well,” they said. “The federal government simply cannot ban speech with which it or its employees disagree.”