On Tuesday night, pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago were seen attempting to burn an American flag before a man intervened and tried to stop them.
Hundreds marched through downtown while the second night of the Democratic National Convention was taking place just a few miles away. After starting at the Israeli consulate, the demonstrators marched through the streets demanding that the US withdraw its support for Israel in the Gaza war.
A mixed Israeli-American flag was thrown into the street and set on fire. While it was burning, someone threw an American flag on top of it.
In a video posted by Brendan Gutenschwager on X (formerly Twitter), a man can be seen trying to grab the American flag. Protesters then pushed him away
“Don’t burn the American flag,” the man said. “It’s our country… You are the enemy.”
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
A protester is then heard shouting, “Burn it down.” After the man walked away, the protesters set the flag on fire.
“This is what we think of your damn flag,” one person said as the flag burned. “The only acceptable American flag is one that is burned and charred.”
The man who intervened was independent journalist Ben Bergquam, who wrote on X that he could not stand by and watch the flag being burned.
Protests outside the DNC against the Israel-Gaza war have intensified and police had to put up additional security fencing early Tuesday after demonstrators breached an outer fence. Protests outside the Israeli consulate turned violent on Tuesday as protesters clashed with police. Thirteen people were arrested Monday evening, according to CNN, and at least one person was apparently detained by police on Tuesday evening.
The charges on Monday range from trespassing to aggravated assault on police officers. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling defended the police’s handling of the protests, saying officers “responded perfectly.” He added that police have “bodycam footage to prove it.”
“We have no idea what they would have done if they had gotten to the other side. But as I said, we will not tolerate anyone committing acts of vandalism in our city. We will not tolerate anyone committing acts of violence,” Snelling said, according to CNN.
The DNC hosted its first Palestinian panel on Monday, and President Joe Biden said in his speech Monday that the protesters were “right” because “many innocent people are being killed on both sides.”
Update 08/20/2024 10:31 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional information.
