Eight American flags were found torn down from a bridge in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, on Monday, the same day President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the vigorous prosecution of flag desecration. The flags, placed on a bridge honouring Marine Lance Corporal William Joseph Donovan Jr., were “forcefully ripped from the fencing,” with at least three “ripped apart at the seams,” according to police.
This is the second such incident at the bridge in two months. Donovan’s father had replaced flags vandalised in July, only to see them destroyed again. Massachusetts State Representative Steve Xiarhos condemned the act, stating, “This is wrong. This is disgraceful. And we must hold whoever is doing this accountable.”
No arrests have been reported. The incident comes as Trump’s executive order directs the attorney general to prosecute flag desecration, challenging the 1989 Supreme Court ruling in Texas v. Johnson, which protected flag burning as free speech. The order has drawn criticism from both sides, with some calling it unconstitutional.
Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin called the order a “joke,” noting Trump’s pardons of January 6 rioters. Conservative commentators also criticised it, with podcaster Jesse Kelly saying, “This is garbage.” The Yarmouth Police have been contacted for further information.
