Popular American YouTuber Shoe0nHead, also known as June Lapine, on Thursday discussed her experience interviewing Trump supporters at the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally ahead of the violent riot at the Capitol, many of whom said they supported burning the American flag as a First Amendment right.
In an interview on Hill.TV’s “Rising,” Lapine said she wanted to gauge support for the issue given former President Trump’s recent repeated suggestions that those who burn the American flag in protest should be punished. The Supreme Court in a 1989 ruling upheld flag burning as a protected form of “symbolic speech.”
“I was actually pleasantly surprised by how many people were actually like, ‘you know what, I don’t like it, but it’s your right to do it, I support it. I wouldn’t do it, but I still support your freedom of speech,’” Lapine said.
She also noted that most veterans she spoke with at the rally supported flag burning as a form of protected speech, though others used veterans’ service and sacrifice as justification for opposing it.
“Veterans were their shield, yet actual veterans were like, ‘No it’s fine, you should burn the flag, I fought for that right,’” Lapine said.
Watch part of Lapine’s interview above.
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