Dramatic footage from the pro-Palestine riots in Washington D.C. on Thursday shows a lone man attempting to save an American flag that was being burned by rioters.

After rioters stormed Union Station and tore down three American flags out front, they proceeded to burn them before replacing them with Palestinian flags. As one of the American flags was burning, a lone man rushed into a crowd of hundreds of rioters and grabbed the flag before retreating.

He immediately sprinted away with the flag, though he was forced to drop it about 100 yards further into the crowd as he was being chased by rioters who were yelling “get him!”

The unrest kicked off after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was far from the first time pro-Palestine protesters caused unrest in Washington D.C., as protesters had previously stormed the White House on multiple occasions and clashed with Capitol Police outside the DNC building.

Wednesday’s protests were the largest and most destructive, however. As the massive crowd descended on the Capitol Building, the protest soon devolved into a riot as protesters clashed with Capitol ad D.C. Metro Police.

“Part of the crowd has started to become violent at First Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. The crowd failed to obey our order to move back from our police line. We are deploying pepper spray towards anyone trying to break the law and cross that line,” the Capitol Police wrote in an X post.

free hat

Several videos have emerged that show mobs of rioters surrounding Capitol Police officers before proceeding to attack them. Others vandalized buildings and monuments, burned flags, and disrupted Congressional proceedings.

It is unlikely that any of the violent rioters will face any consequences, as federal prosecutors have for months refused to treat pro-Palestine rioters with the same harsh response given to January 6 protesters.

To date, more than 1,400 January 6 protesters have been raided by armed FBI agents before being thrown into prison for charges that amount to trespassing. Defendants who so much as shoved police officers during the January 6 protests have been convicted of felonies and sentenced to multiple years in prison.

D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves has yet to bring a single felony charge against pro-Palestine rioters, even those who have attacked police, since the October 7 attacks and subsequent protest movement. His office does however continue to hunt down January 6 protesters on non-violent trespassing misdemeanors nearly four years after the minor disturbance, however.