IOWA CITY, Iowa — Two people have been arrested after a FexEx delivery man intervened a protest flag burning in Iowa City on Thursday, Jan. 26.
Around noon, a small number of people gathered at a rally in front of the pedestrian mall to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline, and a variety of other issues, reports KCRG. As they were burning an American flag, bystanders caught video of a FedEx employee jumping in and grabbing the flags, putting out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
The protesters argued that burning the flags is protected by the First Amendment.
Officers saw protesters setting fire to a flag, and the group did not have a permit from the fire department for a fire, says the criminal complaint.
Kelli Ebensberger, 21, of Iowa City, and Paul Osgerby, 23, of Ames, were arrested for open burning, which is a simple misdemeanor in Iowa.
Since the burning, people have been expressing their gratitude toward the FedEx employee by posting to Twitter with the hashtag #FedExGuy.
