Brown Investigating Report its Students Trashed U.S. Flags

PROVIDENCE, RI — Brown University officials said today they are looking into reports its students trashed U.S. flags planted on the campus green for Veterans Day.

According to Brian E. Clark, the school's director of news and editorial development, the school will not condone vandalism.

"Removing American flags set up for a Veterans Day ceremony is in direct opposition to Brown’s values," the statement read. "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," it continued.

"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. These incidents are under investigation, as any destruction of property is subject to disciplinary review.”

The student at the center of the flag-trashing controversy wrote on Nov. 10 he was posting the video a second time to "make it go viral."

"I am posting this again...make it go viral it's public!
Today was a sad day...Hundreds of flags were set up on the main green of Brown University by 2 VETERANS in honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, and when i got out of class, people had snapped them, ripped them, and threw them aside (in the video). I spent 1.5 hours outside taping them back together and putting all of them back in the ground, with a few confrontations. Only 2 people out of hundreds of people that passed by stopped to help. One person actually stomped on and snapped all of the ones I put back and when i asked her to stop and explained that they were for Veterans Day she said "I don't care about that". Always stand up for what you believe even if you have 6 thousand people against you and dont step on my flag.

Nicky Strada posted the brief video clip on Instagram and on Facebook. It purports to show a woman throwing a flag at the base of a tree.

Image via Shutterstock