Imagine the plight of a protestor who turned up to burn the European Union flag with a lighter only to find it did not burn. While it is illegal in most countries to burn flags as a mark of protest some countries including the United States of America and the European Union allow protesters to burn flags. The words in the US Flag Code state that the United States Flag Code states that “the flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display (for example, the flag being faded or torn), should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. This law is used by protestors in the United States to burn the US flag even at small street side protests which have increased manifold after President Trump’s victory in November 2016. The operative word “in a dignified way” from the flag code is often given a pass by the authorities as the protestors use the burning flag as a mark of protest. Ditto for the European Union which allows protestors to burn the respective country’s or the Commission’s flag as a mark of protest. A Redditor, i124nk8 has posted a video in which a protestor tries to burn the European Union flag. But to his dismay, the flag won’t burn!!!
Apparently, all flags used in EU must comply with EN 1021-2 Resistance Standards for flammable materials. This rule means that all EU flags are made up of non-flammable material. This fact was probably not brought to the notice of the protester whose face is masked so we can’t gauge the look on his face to see the flag not burning. This video could not be independently verified as it is undated. However, next time you want to protest against your government by burning the flag, you might take little trouble to check with the specifications or carry a gallon of gasoline with you or you will be left red faced like the above protestor.
