Occupy Charlotte protesters burn US flags

Four men from the Charlotte, NC, area were arrested on Friday afternoon after burning two US flags at the Occupy Charlotte campsite, the Charlotte Observer reported. Burning an American flag is not a crime, but police charged the men with the careless use of a fire because they didn't use a fire pit, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to WBTV in Charlotte:

Police officers told WBTV the protesters gave them a verbal tongue-lashing while being detained, calling them fascists, as well as using other colorful words.

All four men posted bond and were released, the LA Times reported.

"Those were actions taken on my own behalf," one of the men, Alex Tyler, 19, explained at a camp meeting later, according to the Charlotte Observer. "I did it to display my utter contempt for American greed, not (the military)."

At the meeting, half of the Occupy Charlotte protesters insisted the men who burned the flag be kicked out of the camp, while the other half of the group threatened to leave if the men were forced to go, the LA Times reported.

The news attracted criticism on the group’s Facebook page, the LA Times reported. “You people have chosen a extremely poor way to represent your feelings,” Jason Hathaway wrote, according to the LA Times. “I hope that you understand that by burning our nation's flag, you have spit in the face of the military and the families of the military that fight for you and the freedoms that you all take for granted.”

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