A decorated US Army veteran was arrested on Monday after burning an American flag near the White House, in what he described as a peaceful protest against an executive order recently signed by President Donald Trump. The incident occurred at Lafayette Square, where the veteran, Jay Carey, was taken into custody by US Park Police and charged under a law prohibiting fires on federal parkland, according to The Washington Post.Carey, 54, said the act was an expression of his first amendment right to protest. “It was my right as a citizen … under the First Amendment to protest in whatever way I see fit without hurting anybody,” Carey said in a phone interview the following day, as quoted by the post.The protest came shortly after Trump signed an order directing federal agencies to “vigorously prosecute” individuals who desecrate the US flag. Carey, who served 20 years in the Army and was awarded a Bronze Star during the Iraq War, said he burned the flag to oppose what he called an unconstitutional move. “That he does not have the right, and he’s not allowed to make these illegal rules and laws just because he’s the president,” he said.Carey clarified that the act was not intended to disrespect the flag but to challenge perceived overreach. “People have the right to exercise the rights that have been given to them by this government,” he added, reported the post.Video footage of the event shows Carey pouring rubbing alcohol on the flag and setting it alight while addressing a crowd of about two dozen onlookers. He told them the executive order was illegal and that he had “fought for every single one of [their] rights.”Carey was released after around four hours in custody and is awaiting a court summons. He said he hopes the federal government pursues charges under the executive order so the matter can be escalated to the “highest court.”The US Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that flag burning is protected symbolic speech, though Trump has argued that such acts can lead to unrest. “When you burn the American flag, it incites riots at levels we’ve never seen before,” Trump said during the signing of the order.Carey, who previously ran in a Democratic congressional primary and has participated in public protests, said he intends to challenge the order in court. “We’ll fight this and we’ll win this,” he said. “But if I go to jail for a year, I go to jail for a year. I’ve deployed in combat zones for longer than that.”
