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Brown U Students Trash Veterans Day Flag Display

Brown U Students Trash Veterans Day Flag Display
11/15/2016
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Susan Dutca-Lovell

American Flags designated for a Veterans Day ceremony at Brown University were torn and trashed by university students. While a group tried to protect remaining flags, others continued what they believe was a "justified" protest against the recent presidential election.

The American flags arranged on Brown University's Main Green flew in honor of the annual Veteran's Day ceremony, which made the incident "a little extra disturbing" to some students. In response, a group of students staged a sit-in to protect the remaining flags from vandalism, retrieved trashed flags, and replanted them in the ground. Protesting students defended their "justified" actions, claiming the flags serve as a "symbol of oppressing white nationalism" and a "sign of oppression and racial dominance and bigotry and imperialism." A similar incident occurred last week at American University where students set fire to American flags to protest Donald Trump's "white America" which is "going down in flames."

Brown's veteran students attest to the university's strong support of veterans but claim that students are "hostile" and "confused as to what the military does." University veterans state that they have been called "baby killers" and are all categorized as "white men...hiding behind a veil of integrity and honor and go around the world enslaving people." While the vandalism may have been a protest to the recent political climate, vets say that their "service isn't political...nor was the ceremony."

A university spokesman stated in an email that they are "investigating the accounts of vandalism to American flags set out on Brown's College Green to celebrate Veteran's Day" and furthermore, do not "condone the activities that led to the flags being removed, and destruction of property is subject to disciplinary review."

In your opinion, was the vandalism justified? What, if any, action should the university take? Share your thoughtful comments with us below.

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