Members of the Revolutionary Community Party burned an American flag outside of the White House on Thursday shortly before President Donald Trump's "Salute to America" speech. They then threw the flag on multiple Secret Serviced agents.
A veteran grabbed the half-burned flag and attempted to put it out, clearly upset at the Communists' gesture. Secret Service eventually used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.
Footage of White House flag burning ahead of Trump's #SaluteToAmerica
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) July 4, 2019
A man who identified himself as a veteran grabbed the burned flag #FourthofJuly pic.twitter.com/nJdWlMpdKp
Communists burn a flag in front of the White House, toss it on U.S. Secret Service Police, who recoils in pain. Another USSS member comes in with a fire extinguisher and puts it out. pic.twitter.com/jqLd4DQC0I
— Marcus J. DiPaola (@marcusdipaola) July 4, 2019
According to the Washington Examiner, flag-burning activist Gregory "Joey" Johnson and two others were arrested for the stunt.
Johnson made a name for himself when he won a 1989 Supreme Court case that made flag-burning legal. He recently received a $225,000 settlement from Cleveland, Ohio for being arrested for bringing a flag at the 2016 Republican convention.
While Johnson was arrested, fellow Communists can be heard yelling, "It's legal to burn the flag!"
Joey Johnson was just arrested by the Secret Service after burning an American flag outside the White House #FourthofJuly #SaluteToAmerica pic.twitter.com/eFbRn2dlhC
— Steven Nelson (@stevennelson10) July 4, 2019
Secret Service told the Examiner that two Secret Service "received minor injuries while attempting to make arrests" and were taken to the hospital for treatment.
While the Community members are claiming Johnson and the two others were arrested for burning the flag, Secret Service says that's not the case.
One faces a charge for "felony assault on a police officer and malicious burning" and the other "for obstructing a police investigation and resisting arrest."
The third person that was originally arrested was released without charges because he was not a member of the group but merely a bystander defending flag-burning.