欧博官网chevron
TOPICS:
WASHINGTON (7News) — A man was arrested Monday evening after being seen on camera burning an American flag in Lafayette Park, near the White House. The incident happened only hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at cracking down on the act of flag burning.
The U.S. Secret Service said officers detained the man around 6:15 p.m. after he set the flag on fire. Agents quickly extinguished the flames before turning the man over to the U.S. Park Police, which has jurisdiction in the area.
U.S. Park Police identified the charge as a violation of 36 CFR 2.13(a)(1), which prohibits unauthorized fires on federal property.
The man, identified as Jay Carey, is a 20-year combat veteran and said he lit the flag in protest of Trump, according to CNN.
SEE ALSO |
The arrest came on the same day Trump signed an executive order urging the Justice Department to pursue tougher penalties for flag burning.
“You burn a flag, you get one year in jail. You don’t get 10 years, you don’t get one month,” Trump said. “You get one year in jail, and it goes on your record, and you will see flag burning stopping immediately.”
In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. Johnson that flag burning is protected under the First Amendment.
Trump described the 1989 court behind the ruling as a “very sad court" on Monday.
Section 8 of the Flag Code outlines proper respect for the American flag, including not allowing it to touch the ground, water, or merchandise and displaying it aloft and free.