VIDEO: Female vet tackled, arrested for trying to stop flag protest
(FOX NEWS)--A U.S. veteran was detained but not charged Friday after she intervened in a university protest where demonstrators were walking on the American flag.
Cell phone video taken at Valdosta State University shows Air Force vet Michelle Manhart take the flag from protesters and refuse to return it before she is tackled and handcuffed by university police.
Bryan Llenas reported on "America's News Headquarters" that Manhart saw a photo of the protestors disgracing the flag and repeatedly asked the university to stop them. Nothing happened, so she took action, picking the flag up off the ground and refusing to return it to the protesters.
"This belongs to actually the entire United States," Manhart tells a protester in the video. "It's not yours."
Manhart resisted turning the flag over to police and stood her ground, holding Old Glory until she was overpowered by four officers.
She was released after the protesters and officers declined to press charges. The university, however, issued a criminal trespass warning, which effectively bans Manhart from stepping on campus.
"When it comes to the flag, it's our iconic symbol. It stands for everything that we are. It stands for the freedoms to allow those individuals to do what they want, protest or have an organization. So how are you even going to justify ruining or walking upon something that's giving you the right to do what you're doing?" Manhart said.
Llenas reported that the university expects veterans groups to counter-protest on Monday, and they will respect their right to do so.