By Staff, Agencies

A group of Black Lives Matter [BLM] protesters in Washington DC marked July 4 by trampling on the American flag before setting it on fire, arguing that the US state symbol represents “slavery, genocide and war.”

Footage showing protesters mocking the US flag began making the rounds online on Saturday evening.

“What does the American flag represent?” a woman asks, prompting a man to respond: “America. Every citizen that lives in America.” The protester with a megaphone then argues that the banner is a symbol of slavery, saying “it was built on the back of slaves.”

Other videos showed protesters stomping on the flag and preparing to set it alight.

Protesters rejoice when the banner finally catches fire, and then begin chanting as guided by one of the group’s leaders: “We knew what this flag represents: One, two, three, four, slavery, genocide and war, five, six, seven, eight, America was never great.”

The torching stunt had been touted as a “flag burning challenge” and was reportedly organized by the Revolutionary Communist Party, or RevCom.