THORNTON

“ is is a situation of protected free, political speech,” she said.

In an email, Ayala said that Namazi’s actions could be seen as satire.

“On a national level, politicians see themselves parodied through satirical comedy on a regular basis. On the local municipal level this is playing out di erently but could serve the same purpose it does on a national level,” she wrote.

“Our country has a long history in the use of satire and parody paired with our First Amendment protected freedom of speech. is goes back to the founding of our country and has been protected via Supreme Court rulings. While the practice of free speech can sometimes make folks feel uncomfortable it is still our protected right and is crucial in a free society,” she wrote.

With Kulmann pursuing a restraining order, Ayala said it isn’t the rst time the mayor has tried to “infringe on protected free speech under the First Amendment.” She pointed to a lawsuit from 2018.

“A federal lawsuit was led in 2018 against then-Mayor Pro Tem Jan Kulmann for blocking individuals and deleting comments on Facebook. e parties to the case stipulated an agreement prior to it ever going to a hearing in court. e stipulated agreement resulted in Jan Kulmann agreeing to unblock the two parties that had led the suit and not block anyone else or delete comments from her Council Member Jan Kulmann Facebook page,” wrote City Spokesperson Todd Barnes.

But Kulmann doesn’t see her actions as infringing on free speech. She sees it as election misinformation to mislead voters.

“ e state now gives public ocials discretion on their social media comments under HB-1306, but this is not about free speech. Dariush Namazi isn’t being denied his free speech. However, he continues to harass and invade my safety and personal space as he spreads his misinformation,” she wrote in a statement.

In an interview, Namazi said that he worked for Ayala’s campaign because his wife wanted him to.

“We all do things that we might not personally want to do for people we love, she wanted me to come to events with her, do activities with her, knock on doors with her,” Namazi said.

He said that Ayala doesn’t have a say in anything he does and that Ayala has never told him to do anything.

Namazi said that he will continue to show up to public events and public gatherings as Danny Kulmann, even with the temporary restraining order. In fact, he was at the Fourth of July celebration.

But he said he doesn’t plan on breaking any laws.