No Flags Allowed on Campus? Military Vets Beg to Differ

U.S. military veterans rallied outside Hampshire College in Amherst to raise the U.S. flag. The peaceful demonstration came in response to the school's decision to take it down.

The controversy began after the presidential election, when students who were angry about Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton lashed out by setting the flag on fire.
 
However, many veterans took offense to the students burning the American flag, calling it an insult to their sacrifice in the defense of safety, democracy and American values.  

In a sea of red, white and blue, they organized a demonstration of their own in opposition to the flag burning.  Nearly all of the dozens of protestors carried a flag.

"Blood, sweat, and tears. Red white and blue. That's what it is. That's what this flag represents," one of the demonstrators said.

Another added, "This stands for all the veterans around the whole nation, everybody who fought for this flag."

"Too much blood has been shed for our country, for our freedom," yet another protestor said.

School officials say they welcome peaceful discussions about the flag decision.
 
Meanwhile, President-elect Trump tweeted, ""Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag -- if they do, there must be consequences -- perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail!" 

Hillary Clinton also once tried to criminalize flag-burning, co-sponsoring the Flag Protection Act in 2005 when she was a New York senator.

While the bill did not call for the stripping of citizenship, it made flag burning with the intent to incite violence or disturb the peace punishable by a year in jail and a $100,000 fine.  The measure was not approved.