Social media personality Anton Taylor has vowed to continue speaking out after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the Old Diocesan Committee (ODC) over his criticism of the Pride flag at Bishops Diocesan College.
Taylor, who is also an ODC member, has publicly challenged the committee’s position on which flags should fly at the Cape Town school, insisting that he will not be intimidated into silence.
The dispute centres on the ODC’s call for the school council to restrict the school’s flagpoles to the South African national flag, the Bishops flag and the St George’s flag.
The committee has argued that flying other flags could suggest that the school endorses particular positions on contested issues.
The school, however, has maintained that its third flag will continue to rotate between causes, including Pride. Principal Tony Reeler previously described the approach as a symbol of inclusion.
‘They effectively threatened to destroy my life’
In a video shared online, Taylor said he received a legal letter from the offices of criminal defence attorney William Booth.
Questioning who had paid for the legal services, Taylor remarked: “One thing about William, he’s not cheap.”
He went on to describe the letter as particularly serious, claiming that it threatened criminal charges, a harassment order and punitive legal costs over his public criticism of the flag dispute.
“Guys, this letter throws the kitchen sink at me. They effectively threatened to destroy my life,” he said.
Taylor also questioned the implications of the letter for freedom of expression, arguing that sending a cease-and-desist demand would not stop him from discussing the issue.
“What about freedom of expression, okes? In my opinion, once you get to sending cease-and-desist letters, you’ve lost. I’ve won,” he said.
These are Taylor’s characterisations of the legal correspondence. The full letter and the ODC’s response to his claims were not available in the supplied information.
Taylor questions timing of legal letter
According to Taylor, the letter demanded that he delete his videos about the flag dispute by October 1.
He believes the deadline is significant because supporters of a Bishops group had called on the ODC to announce a special general meeting by that date to consider removing the committee.
Taylor said the meeting had not been announced and questioned why the legal letter had arrived instead.
“But they haven’t announced anything. Instead, they sent me this letter,” he said.
He added that his legal team had responded to the ODC and suggested that the committee’s actions could amount to a strategic lawsuit against public participation, commonly known as a SLAPP suit.
Such claims refer to legal action alleged to be intended to burden or discourage people from speaking out on matters of public interest. Whether that description applies in this dispute has not been established.
“The target person ends up facing legal costs, stress, and delay, and the hope is that they’ll back down and stop speaking about the matter of public interest,” Taylor said.
‘I’m not scared of litigation’
Despite the threat of possible legal action, Taylor said he was prepared to continue the dispute.
“I’m not scared of litigation, oaks. I’d enjoy it,” he said.
He also challenged the ODC to address the demand for a special general meeting, arguing that the committee’s constitution required it to be held.
“Come on, gents. The constitution states that you have to hold that meeting. Let’s have that showdown, boys,” he said.
Booth was approached for comment and said he would consult with his client. No further response had been received at the time of publication.
The dispute leaves questions over the ODC’s position, the legal correspondence sent to Taylor and the future of the school’s flag policy unanswered.
For now, Taylor maintains that he will continue to voice his views on the matter.
IOL
