Durham man accused of damaging federal property in alleged D.C. protest flag burning
A Durham man has been charged after allegedly burning an American flag that was on federal property during a Washington, D.C., protest last summer, officials said this week.
Michael Snow Jr., 24, was arrested Tuesday in Cary on a charge of destruction of federal property, court records show. Snow is accused of setting ablaze an American flag taken from a flagpole at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station on July 24 during demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress.
At 3:14 p.m. that day, Snow allegedly grabbed the flag from other protesters who had taken it down and carried it into a crowd of demonstrators, his arrest warrant alleges. He initially tried to light the flag on fire with a lighter but was unsuccessful.
“The man was initially unsuccessful and yelled to the crowd: ‘I need a better lighter!’” the warrant states. “Individuals in the crowd surrounding the man chanted ‘Burn that (expletive)!’”
Another protester handed the man a bottle of lighter fluid and a butane jet lighter, and he and an unknown individual were able to successfully set the flag on fire with lighters, according to the arrest warrant.
“After setting the flag on fire, Snow stepped back to stand on the steps of the flag pedestal while (another individual) paraded around the burning flag,” the warrant says.
Free speech vs. destruction of federal property
Pictures of the protest at Columbus Circle were posted on X the next day, according to the warrant. The same user also posted a photo of a person who appeared to be Snow at a protest at the University of North Carolina on May 5. That person was holding a banner for PSLCarolinas, an abbreviation for the North Carolina and South Carolina chapters of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the warrant states.
Investigators spoke with two people who knew Snow, who identified him as the person in the photos. Law enforcement also surveilled Snow at work and at his home and confirmed he appeared to be the individual in those pictures, the warrant said.
“Stealing a federal flag and burning it is not speech, it’s destruction of federal property,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves. “Hundreds of thousands of people engage in lawful First Amendment protest activity every year in the District of Columbia without incident.
The relatively few who choose to cross the line from protest to violence and destruction will be held accountable for the crimes they commit,” Graves continued.
Snow had his first appearance in court virtually Thursday and was released without bond, but must complete a mental health assessment, according to court records.
His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 2.
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 5:17 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the destruction of property charge was a felony.
