Five people were arrested ahead of Philadelphia’s July Fourth celebration after protesters attempted to set an American flag on fire, according to police.
A small group of protesters gathered outside Washington Square in Center City Saturday afternoon around 6 p.m., with signs calling for “No celebrations of empire” and proclaiming “All empires fall.”
According to video of the incident, what began as a peaceful protest unraveled as an unidentified woman attempted to light an American flag on fire.
“During the protest, one of the individuals in the group placed an American flag on the sidewalk and doused it with a large amount of an accelerant,” a Philadelphia police spokesperson said in a statement.
Burning an American flag is considered a protected form of free speech, upheld by the Supreme Court. But burning a flag on a public street in Philadelphia is generally prohibited due to the city’s strict safety rules on setting fires.
After police intervened to prevent the flag from being lit on fire, a few protesters yelled obscenities at police and refused to leave the area, despite repeated calls from officers.
“The group was given multiple warnings to disperse from the area and refused, leading to five arrests,” police said.
The five individuals, who were not from Philadelphia and ranged in age from 18 to 25, were charged with failing to disperse and have since been released.
There were no injuries reported, police said, and the remaining protesters gathered in a peaceful march through Center City following the incident, ending at The Wanamaker Building.
Despite extreme heat and frustration stemming from weather delays, crowds were peaceful during the city’s celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary.
Police said there were no arrests on the Parkway or outside Lincoln Financial Field, which hosted Philly’s final World Cup match Saturday. There were also no arrests stemming from other protests that happened across the city Saturday.