QPRESS
Fourth of July flag-burning at White House erupts in chaos, with 3 arrested
At least three Revolutionary Communist Party activists were arrested outside the White House after burning an American flag on the Fourth of July. The activists, opposing President Trump and calling for a “world without America,” were met by a large counterprotest.
The Secret Service arrested flag-burning activist Gregory “Joey” Johnson and at least two allies in the aftermath. Johnson won a 1989 Supreme Court case that invalidated state laws banning flag burning. Earlier this year, he won a $225,000 settlement from Cleveland, Ohio, as a result of his arrest for burning a flag at the 2016 Republican convention. A man, who identified himself as a veteran, grabbed the half-burned flag after it ignited on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Authorities closed Lafayette Park, located across from the White House, as chaos erupted while members of the right-wing Proud Boys group counterprotested. The incident occurred about an hour before Trump was scheduled to depart the White House to speak at the Lincoln Memorial as part of his “Salute to America.”
Joseph Oakman of Michigan, a member of the Proud Boys, told the Washington Examiner that about 50 members of the group were present. Many wore red “Make America Great Again” hats. “You gay cuck, faggot,” one man associated with the group shouted at a communist activist. “This is America,” said another. “America was always great,” a man nearby agreed. Many counterprotesters thanked police. As fewer than a dozen members of the Revolutionary Communist Party prepared to leave the closed park, a robust “Trump 2020!” chant drowned them out. “USA! USA! USA!” the larger group chanted.
2019-07-04T18:10:22Z