Vet Arrested After Burning a Flag at the White House to Protest Trump's Order (for 'igniting an object')

[Jack Valentino]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/veteran-jay-carey-arrested-after-burning-a-flag-at-the-white-house-to-protest-donald-trumps-order/


The Army veteran railed against Trump’s order prohibiting the desecration of flags, slamming the commander-in-chief as an “illegal fascist president.”

Ewan Palmer
Reporter
Updated Aug. 26 2025 10:56AM EDT
Published Aug. 26 2025 10:54AM EDT


An Army veteran has been arrested after burning an American flag outside the White House in defiance of Donald Trump’s new executive order targeting the act, long seen as a symbol of free speech and expression.

The man, identified as Jay Carey, doused an American flag with accelerant Monday before setting it on fire and railing against what he claimed was Trump’s “illegal” order prohibiting the desecration of flags.

“No president can make a law period. No Congress shall make a law infringing on First Amendment rights,” said Carey, who described himself as a 20-year combat veteran of the U.S. Army. “I’m burning this flag as a protest to that illegal fascist president that sits in that house. We burn this flag in protest to that president who feels that it’s his right to do whatever he wants, make whatever law he wants, regardless if it’s legal or illegal.”

Video posted on Instagram shows Secret Service agents dousing the blaze with a fire extinguisher and detaining Carey, although not for burning the flag. Instead, he was arrested for violating a law that prohibits setting fires in federal parks.


Read all:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/veteran-jay-carey-arrested-after-burning-a-flag-at-the-white-house-to-protest-donald-trumps-order/


Sounds like a fair arrest, rather than a fascist action---
acts of civil disobedience can have a cost
(although what he was protesting wasn't what he was arrested for, since the Supreme Court already ruled many years ago
that burning the flag as political speech cannot be outlawed..., regardless of Trump's E.O. blathering...

Unfortunately setting fires in federal parks is actually illegal, it seems

I APPLAUD this vet's protest, I hope someone sets up a 'GoFundMe' to cover his legal expenses and a little more!


(Trump's worthless EO brings back memories of an argument with my now EX-wife about that 1989 Supreme Court decision which ruled that flag-burning was a protected form of political speech.... She was against it, I was for it. She tried to be a good Democrat while she was married to me--- but long after the divorce in the era of Obama, I happened to find her facebook page which had shared a bunch of racist anti-Obama crap, which made me appalled that we had ever shared a bed Seems that after we parted, she went back to her father's bad influence, one of his favorite words began with an 'N'.... Now I'm sure she's a total magat, but I don't care to go look)

[FirstLight]

1. good...and I agree with EVERYTHING he said!

We should definitely be watching out for more of this now, unfortunately. Burning flags wasn't even an issue, but now that the turd said and did that, it might just become one. And I hate that it will be twisted into "Liberals hate our country"

[Jack Valentino]

5. Those who want to outlaw 'burning the flag' have always ignored the irony that

burning flags which are tattered, stained, or otherwise severely distressed
is the recommended, accepted and honorable method of disposal....



WELL, OUR FLAG is NOW
"tattered, stained, and otherwise severely distressed" !


Trump will likely soon be directing his 'Department of Injustice'
to arrest Boy Scouts who are disposing of old flags according to long-standing 'flag etiquette'.....


Want to burn some flags myself now, but not the 'Stars and Stripes'---
but a bunch of MAGAT flags!

[Ocelot II]

2. What he should have done was burn the flag in a completely legal manner and location,

as in a designated fire pit in a public picnic area - then dare them to arrest him.

[struggle4progress]

3. +

[berniesandersmittens]

7. Not sure how I rec'd this repeatedly, but I'm gonna leave it . ..

[Jack Valentino]

10. Yeah, well.... how far away from the White House would such a location be ??

Probably pretty damned far as to escape any notice.


Now, to create a public fire pit and picnic area on White House grounds
is an idea which has some merit, now......

[struggle4progress]

4. ... "On August 25 at approximately 6:15 p.m., the U.S. Secret Service detained an individual

in Lafayette Park for igniting an object," the agency said. "The individual was subsequently turned over to U.S. Park Police as they have jurisdiction. We'd refer you to U.S. Park Police for any charges or additional questions."

The Park Police confirmed that the individual was arrested after being reached for comment by Newsweek, saying, "At about 6:30 p.m., the United States Park Police arrested one person in Lafayette Park for a violation of 36 CFR 2.13(a)(1), prohibited fire. All units have cleared the scene" ...

https://www.newsweek.com/person-detained-washington-dc-burning-american-flag-2119090

[struggle4progress]

6. 36 CFR 2.13(a)(1)

(a) The following are prohibited:

(1) Lighting or maintaining a fire, except in designated areas or receptacles and under conditions that may be established by the superintendent ...

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-2/section-2.13

[struggle4progress]

8. Former NC candidate charged for fire

By Danielle Battaglia
August 26, 2025 1:43 PM

... Carey spent only a few hours in custody before being released Monday night, he said after returning to the area and appearing in a TikTok video to explain his arrest. He said U.S. Park Police charged him for lighting a fire in a park ...

Carey ran in 2022 to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, but lost the Democratic primary. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican, won the general election. In March, Carey was escorted by police out of a town hall hosted by Edwards for a shouting expletives at Edwards for his support of Trump ...

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article311853731.html#storylink=cpy

[GJGCA]

9. From another era:

Over Barbara Frietchie’s grave
Flag of Freedom and Union, wave!

Peace and order and beauty draw
Round thy symbol of light and law;

And ever the stars above look down
On thy stars below in Frederick town!

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45483/barbara-frietchie

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Greenleaf_Whittier

[Jack Valentino]

13. Name rings a bell, but I have no further recollection, so I googled her

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Fritchie

[Lovie777]

11. Different time, sometimes different reasons/outcomes...........................

but history reminds us of how we the people can survive.

[Torchlight]

12. The excuses they use to cover this as something it's not will be immediate

But quite often, six of one really is half a dozen of the other.

[Jack Valentino]

14. "Technicalities"...... I think you might agree that laws against

starting fires in public parks might be considered valid,
even if fascist executive orders against burning flags are completely invalid...

Nonetheless, I applaud this veteran.