© YouTube / nelson88sFar-left protesters burn US flag at front of the White House at the start of 4th of July celebrations in Washington
Scuffles broke out in front of the White House after a small group of Revolutionary Communist Party activists, clad in black T-shirts with the "Revolution - Nothing Less" slogan inscribed on them, torched two American flags.
In one of the incidents, the far-left protesters set a flag on fire just outside the White House lawn before allegedly hurling it at a Secret Service officer. Freelance photographer Marcus J. DiPaola, who posted photos of the incident on Twitter, wrote that the officer "recoiled in pain" from the flames. Another policeman can be seen putting out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
A blurry video of the same incident, filmed from another angle, shows a police officer rushing to the scene, apparently to douse the flames, while loud cheers can be heard in the background.
In another incident, a man wearing a red T-shirt with the Make America Great Again slogan charged at the protesters to wrestle away another burning flag. In a video of the showdown, he can be seen stomping on the flag in a futile attempt to put out the flames.
The man, reportedly a veteran, then jumps into a rival crowd but gets escorted away by a uniformed police officer.
In the meantime, fisticuffs broke out between the groups. Secret Service agents could be seen pinning several protesters to the ground.
The Secret Service, cited by the Washington Examiner, said two people were arrested, including Gregory 'Joey' Johnson. Johnson is a veteran communist activist and a flag-burner who won a landmark case versus the state of Texas in 1989, which led to the Supreme Court lifting the bans on desecrating the US flag in 48 out of 50 states.
Two officers suffered minor injuries while handling the suspects and were taken to the hospital.
If both sides had firearms, my money would be five to one!
R.C.