Parody is illegal?

Funny, one might think that First Amendment thingy would have prevented this, but apparently the NY Post doesn't see it that way.

Early this morning, some 2,000 activists affiliated with a group called The Yes Men handed out copies of a 32-page parody issue calling attention to climate change. But when volunteers tried to distribute copies outside the Post's offices, they were detained by police and their papers were confiscated, says an eyewitness. [...]

The parody issue was distributed today to raise awareness in advance of tomorrow's United Nations talks on climate change. Yes Men co-founder Andy Bichlbaum says the group printed about 1 million copies at a cost of $50,000; the expense was underwritten by a private donor who prefers to remain anonymous.

Last fall, The Yes Men produced a fake New York Times edition about the Iraq War. Bichlbaum says the group chose the Post for its global warming stunt in part because of the paper's denialist stance on the issue. "Unfortunately, they never do real reporting on climate change," he says. "We're hoping this gives them the little kick in the ass that they need."

So far the NYPD has not responded to inquiries on "why the volunteers were detained, on what grounds their papers were confiscated and whether they'll be returned." I'm predicting arrests for "disorderly conduct" myself and I doubt the papers will be returned. I would be happy to be wrong though.

[More posts daily at The Detroit News]