Angry LSU Students Chase Would-Be Flag Burner Off the Campus

A Louisiana State University graduate student picked the wrong place to announce plans to burn an American flag Wednesday. Nearly a thousand angry LSU students chased him off the campus in Baton Rouge.

Benjamin Haas originally planned to burn the flag to show support for another LSU student who was arrested last week for cutting down and burning the flag at the LSU War Memorial.  He didn't get a city permit to burn anything, so he decided to just read his protest statement.

Word of Haas' plans to burn the flag sparked anger all over the campus, so before he could speak, he was surrounded by a large crowd yelling obscenities and chanting, “U-S-A” and “Go to hell hippie, go to hell.”  Some threw water balloons and  bottles at him.

Campus police had to rescue Haas and drive him away in a police car, with the crowd right behind, still screaming at him.

via LSU protest doused | News | 2theadvocate.com — Baton Rouge, LA.

A student who brought more than a hundred small American flags for the counter protest said they chased Haas away, he didn't burn the flag, and she's proud to be an LSU Tiger.