American flags flying for a Veterans Day ceremony at Brown University were snapped in half, torn up and thrown away, according to a student who videotaped what he saw happening, and posted it online.

That prompted other students to counterprotest, according to the campus newspaper, the Brown Daily Herald, with a senior upset by the actions to organize a group to sit on the school’s green to protect the remaining flags. And it opened up an intense debate about the meaning of patriotism and sacrifice on the Ivy League campus in the days after a divisive election, with some students saying in online debates that it’s hard to love a country that has committed atrocities and oppressed minorities.

At American University last week, some students set American flags on fire to protest Donald Trump’s election as president and “white America,” saying the country was “going down in flames.”

Nicholas Strada, a neuroscience major who’s in an eight-year undergraduate and medical school program at Brown, was in a Constitutional law class Thursday when he saw people putting up flags for the ceremony, all along the walkways that crisscross the school’s main green.

When he left class, the first flag he saw was snapped in half, just dangling, he said. So he went and bought a roll of tape. While he was fixing it, he noticed a pile of flags lying on the ground, and then another. So he started putting those flags back into the ground, he said.

Then he saw someone grabbing flags out of the ground and throwing them against a tree. He put those back. Then he saw the same person taking a pile of them and walking off with them. “That wasn’t the only person,” he said. “Someone was walking down the path and stomping on them one by one. I went over and nicely asked, ‘Could you not do that? People just put them up.’ . . . I explained they were for Veterans Day. She said, ‘I don’t care about that right now,’ and walked off.”

“I was out there for a while,” he said. “A few people stopped to help.”

Cass Cliatt, a spokesman for the university, responded to questions with an email:

“We are investigating the accounts of vandalism to American flags set out on Brown’s College Green to celebrate Veterans Day. Every year members of our campus community come together to honor our veterans and their commitment to serving our country. The flags were planted a day in advance as part of an event held on Veterans Day, where student veterans and ROTC undergraduates joined students, faculty and staff from across campus for a Veterans Day procession and ceremony. According to some accounts we have received, members of our community diligently worked to restore the removed flags, some of which had been removed and left nearby. Other flags were removed by the organizers of the event and replaced the morning of the Veterans Day ceremony. We do not condone the activities that led to the flags being removed, and destruction of property is subject to disciplinary review.”

Debate flared on social media over the weekend, including on a site that’s full of anonymous compliments for students.

A student wrote:

“Impact > intent. If you really don’t want to offend anyone, then don’t deal an additional slap in the face to the people who identify as POC, LGBTQ, Muslim, etc. by pretending there’s any justice.”

Another student wrote, in part, “Are you kidding me? If you despise this country so much then leave it if it makes you that sick and almost makes you puke. The United States is amazing. It is filled with opportunity and amazing people. I love this country and I’m sick of others in the Ivy League not feeling the same way. . . .

“I do not care how the hyper sensitive community reacts to my pro-American statements. I am sick of the near censorship present on our campus. And I stand by our nation. I stand by our veterans which include my parents and my grandparents and many before them for generations back. I do not care for those with anti-American sentiments who reside among us. I am an American, and God bless our country.”

A student responded,

“It is hard to love a country that does not love you back. It is hard to love a country that has destroyed the homes and families of those you love. It is hard to love a country that does not hold itself accountable for the atrocities it has committed. I love this country too, but I am here out of necessity. I am here because my family had no where else to go, due to actions committed by the US and others.”

And another wrote, in part,

“The idea that ‘if you despise a country so much just leave’ is one that is steeped in hubris, classism, and a complete lack of understanding of the state of the world that we live in. For many Black Americans, there is no ‘home’ for them to return to, because their countries of origin were not documented. For many immigrants/asylum seekers/refugees, they cannot go back to their home because their countries are literally getting bombed daily due to the actions (or inactions) of powerful Western entities. Many do not have the financial resources to go back to their homes, and even if they did, they would exist under fear of death because of wars, dictatorships, and regimes that the US and other powers have sponsored or produced.”

Another wrote, “I understand what burning the flag does as a method of protest. You are showing your anger at a system that has oppressed so many for so long. And our first amendment, I truly believe, protects the right to do so. But all destroying those particular flags was doing was giving a giant middle finger to the individuals who are honored on that day, not demonstrating anger at an oppressive system.”

And a veteran responded,

“As a student veteran, I just want to say I get it and I support you. It hurts a lot though. My community has seen, done, and endured unimaginable things and sometimes the only time it feels like all those terrible sacrifices aren’t forgotten is when we see a couple $2 flags on the main green once a year. We were taught to see the flag as a representation of the ideas of freedom and unity we fought for, even though it is rarely achieved. You have assigned the flag a different set of values. Your feelings are so valid, but please be conscious of us and be our friend. Hopefully somehow we can find a way to support each other.”

The university honored veterans with a ceremony Friday, with members of the campus community following an American flag and color guard presented by the Patriot Battalion Army ROTC and listening to remarks by a student veteran and others. Senior Michael Zaskey, a neuroscience major, was quoted by Brown’s public relations office as telling the audience, “The nearly six years I was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army will remain one of the most profound experiences of my life,” Zaskey said. “No one knows for certain what the future holds, but I can say to you today, without reservation, that I believe our shared values and beliefs can bridge any misunderstanding, conquer any obstacle and overcome any division.”

Zaskey did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

“With all the divisions going on, I don’t want to bring more divisions and back-and-forth,” Strada said, noting that people who stopped to help with the flags included people angry about Trump’s election and other issues in the United States, and a wide range of opinions. He was thanked by someone whose best friend died fighting for the United States in Afghanistan, he said, and others, but said he’s not the one to thank.

“Thank a veteran,” he said.

 

Author Information:

Susan Svrluga is a reporter for the Washington Post, covering higher education for the Grade Point blog.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post · Susan Svrluga