flag burning

10 Stories

Man Gets 15-Plus Years for Burning Pride Flag

Adolfo Martinez said it was his 'honor' to set LGBT banner on fire in Ames, Iowa

(Newser) - An Iowa man will have a lot of time to reflect on how burning an LGBTQ flag in June wasn't the right move. The AP reports that Adolfo Martinez, 30, was convicted last month, and Wednesday he was sentenced to at least 15 years behind bars for an arson...

The Protesters Never Showed. Counter-Protesters Burned a Flag

Incident occurred Thursday outside Maxine Waters' LA office

(Newser) - A small crowd gathered Thursday outside the Los Angeles office of US Rep. Maxine Waters to counter an expected protest by a self-styled militia group. The far-right Oath Keepers group didn't show, but an incident occurred nonetheless: Would-be counter-protesters there to support Waters burned an American flag taken from...

Trump Wants Flag Burners to Lose Citizenship

But, uh, he supports the First Amendment

(Newser) - Donald Trump believes in free speech and that flag-burning should be illegal. In what the Washington Post is calling "Donald Trump v. the First Amendment, part five," the president-elect decried flag-burning in a tweet on Tuesday, noting those guilty of the practice should perhaps spend a year in...

Chaos at RNC as Police Scuffle With Flag-Burning Protesters

Around a dozen protesters have been arrested

(Newser) - Cleveland police say about a dozen people have been taken into custody and will be arrested following a chaotic protest near the arena housing the Republican National Convention, the AP reports. Lt. Michael Butler of the Cleveland Police Department said Wednesday that charges were pending for between 10 and 16...

Man's Flag Burning Fires Up Internet, Gets Him Arrested

But it wasn't Bryton Mellott's free-speech exercise alone that brought the heat

(Newser) - In almost 30 years, the Urbana Police Department hasn't had to enforce a flag desecration statute on the books, but that changed Monday with the arrest of a 22-year-old Illinois man, Forbes reports. Bryton Mellott posted pictures on Facebook Sunday showing him burning the American flag (only one image...

Braves Set US Flag on Fire
 Braves Set US Flag on Fire 
Apr 10, 2014 2:04 AM CDT

Braves Set US Flag on Fire

Fireworks were too close at home opener

(Newser) - A pretty inauspicious start to the season for the Atlanta Braves: At their home opener Tuesday night, a fireworks blunder ended up setting the American flag on fire in front of 50,000 fans, WXIA reports. For the first—and last—time, the team tried setting off fireworks from the...

Fallen Soldier's Dad Burns NJ Flag in Whitney Protest

John Burri not happy with half-staff Whitney Houston tribute

(Newser) - When John Burri heard that New Jersey ordered flags flown at half-staff to honor Whitney Houston , he drove to his local Flags Unlimited store, bought a New Jersey state flag, brought it to his Michigan home, and burned it on his outdoor grill. "It was $12.95 and it...

Muslims Burn US Flag in London

'Islam will dominate world,' say signs

(Newser) - As part of the world-wide remembrance of the horrors of 9/11 yesterday, a group of Muslim demonstrators burned the American flag near the US embassy in London. The flag was torched as London observed a minute of silence at the time the first plane hit the World Trade Center in...

Flag Day: Five Myths About the American Flag
 Five American Flag Myths 
happy flag day
Jun 14, 2011 9:45 AM CDT

Five American Flag Myths

You can burn it, but you shouldn't wear it

(Newser) - In honor of Flag Day today, the Washington Post lists five of the most common myths about the national symbol:
  • Betsy Ross made the first one: You’re probably sitting there shaking your head and saying, “Yes, she did!” but there’s no credible historical evidence. The story,
...

Judge: Westboro Protesters Free to Desecrate Flag

Federal court strikes down Nebraska law

(Newser) - A federal judge struck down Nebraska’s law against desecrating the flag yesterday, ruling that Westboro Baptist Church members were free to trample the flag as they protest at military funerals. Members of the infamous church often stomp on the flag, wear it, or wave it upside down at their...

10 Stories