A University of Virginia (UVA) law student circulated a flyer promoting an “Antifascist Tailgate” that included imagery of a burning American flag and promised “hot dogs and burning flags” in protest of President Trump’s new executive order on flag desecration.
It remains unclear whether the event actually occurred, though it was scheduled for October 3 according to internal group chat messages.
In the flyer, the American flag is shown on a grill as part of the design, signaling the organizers’ intention to elevate the protest imagery. Kirk Woolf, a UVA law student and Navy veteran, is credited with circulating the flyer in a law student group chat. The event was organized under the name “Friends Against Fascism.” Woolf reportedly justified the planned protest as a response to Trump’s executive order targeting flag burning. He argued to critics that “the president does not get to say what the law is; that is solely the province of the judiciary,” framing it as a defense of free speech.
Woolf is also a recipient of the Pat Tillman scholarship, which honors military service and leadership. The incident illustrates rising tensions on campuses as conservative policies prompt dramatic responses from protest groups. The use of provocative imagery challenges norms about political protest and symbol usage in academic spaces.
