WASHINGTON — A man has been taken into custody by federal authorities for allegedly setting fire to an American flag during protests in the capital against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress in July.
Michael Snow Jr., a 24-year-old from Durham, North Carolina, faces charges of destroying federal property related to the incident, which took place at Columbus Circle, directly in front of Union Station. This act was carried out by demonstrators advocating for an end to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
According to authorities, footage captured Snow calling out, “I need a better lighter!” as he struggled to light the flag at first. After receiving a bottle of lighter fluid from someone in the crowd, he reportedly soaked the flag with it before it was ignited by him and another individual.
Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, stated, “Taking a federal flag and burning it is not an expression of free speech; it constitutes the destruction of federal property.”
No legal representation was listed for Snow in the court records, and attempts to reach him through publicly available contact details were unsuccessful.
During Netanyahu’s congressional address, which was met with significant backlash, thousands of protesters gathered in the city. The prime minister delivered a controversial speech asserting his commitment to achieving “total victory” against Hamas.
Beyond the flag incident, demonstrators outside Union Station also spray-painted graffiti on a statue of Christopher Columbus and replaced American flags with Palestinian flags that had been taken down.
Although a group of protesters had previously obtained a permit for their demonstration at Union Station, the U.S. Park Police rescinded this permit when they could not make contact with the event’s organizers that afternoon.
The National Park Service has estimated that the cleanup and restoration efforts at the location will exceed $11,000.
