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I'm not against flag-burning when it's done as a general social/political statement (I think it's kind of stupid and pointless, but it's harmless enough), but when it's used to target and intimidate individuals, it crosses the line of acceptability. It's one thing to burn a flag at a political demonstration or something, but it's quite another to come onto someone's private property and set fire to their flag. This is disturbingly reminiscent of the KKK burning crosses in front of black people's houses. I think it's pretty obvious that this was a hate crime. As the woman said in the video, the act itself isn't that big of a deal, but the sentiment behind it is definitely unsettling.

Yeah. If this isn't a hate crime, then I don't know what is. It's just such a mean-spirited thing to do, and the fact that it was done by a neighbour makes it even more disturbing to me. Of course, it wouldn't be acceptable if it had been done by a stranger, but at least it wouldn't have felt so personal if it had merely been a random act of vandalism. I don't know what I'd do if one of my neighbours did something like that to me. Half of me would probably want to move, while the other half would want to stay put and hang a dozen more rainbow flags by my front door, just out of spite.