An unnamed man has gone viral after a video shows him rescuing a piece of an American flag that was burning during a pro-Palestine protest. The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, told a local journalist, Richie McGinniss, who recorded the video that he is an attorney who works near Union Station in Washington D.C., where the protests were taking place. “The dude who saved the flag is a lawyer who works nearby,” said McGinniss on X. “He said he saw the flag burning and had to do something.”

A man saves a smoldering American flag from the center of the protest and is nearly tackled amidst shouts “get him!” pic.twitter.com/ZHexsEZbak

— Richie?McG? (@RichieMcGinniss) July 24, 2024

In the video, the man is seen walking up to the burning pile and grabs a fragment of the American flag. The man runs off while protests chased after him yelling, “Get him!” The anonymous man weaved through the crowd as people were chasing him, but was able to make it out. In a later video posted by McGinniss, he reported that the man said, “I grabbed what I could out of the fire and ran. I’m ashamed I didn’t stop and go back and get the rest of it.” The man in the video, which has now gone viral, has received high praise from people all over the country. One user commented, “Thank you, sir, whoever you are – that was brave and honorable behavior on display.” Another user said, “This man is a hero and a Patriot. God bless him.”

Protests erupted Wednesday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before a joint session of Congress, resulting in protests outside the Capitol and around Washington, D.C. from pro-Palestine groups.