Vandals burned two flags flying on a flagpole exterior the headquarters of the Heartland Institute, a free-market suppose tank recognized for its local weather skepticism.

Heartland spokesperson Jim Lakely stated the blackened stays of the American flag and yellow Gadsden flag, which options the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me,” had been found Thursday morning on the broken flagpole in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

He stated no person has claimed accountability for the assault, however he blamed it on “radical leftists” against the conservative nonprofit advocacy group’s mission.

“I always knew this day would come — the day some radical leftists decide to take their hatred of The Heartland Institute and its mission to advance freedom and turn it into ‘direct action,’” Mr. Lakely stated Thursday in a web site publish.

The two flags have flown over the constructing since Heartland moved to the Chicago suburb in 2015.

Mr. Lakely stated he reported the arson to police, however “the kind officer who came out said it’s unlikely the perps will be identified, and I knew that.” The constructing’s safety cameras level on the doorways, not the flagpole.

He stated the “notion that this is a just ‘random’ act of vandalism and arson is not plausible.”

“Heartland was clearly targeted because of the public positions we take as a conservative think tank — and because we’re the most-prominent organization in the world combatting climate alarmism, as well as the insidious spread of socialism around the globe,” Mr. Lakely stated.

Organizations related to conservative causes have been hit with a wave of vandalism in the previous few years.

More than 80 pro-life workplaces and being pregnant facilities have been attacked because the May 2022 leak of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. The radical pro-choice group Jane’s Revenge has taken credit score for among the assaults.

The CatholicVote tracker has additionally listed assaults on 318 Catholic church buildings starting from graffiti to arson since May 2020, the outbreak of mass Black Lives Matter protests and rioting following the demise of George Floyd by the hands of Minneapolis police.

Heartland was focused by local weather protesters when it was situated in downtown Chicago, however the flag-burning represents the primary assault on the Arlington Heights location.

Mr. Lakely stated the 2 flags, which had flown exterior the constructing since 2015, would get replaced promptly.

“This will not deter us in the least. In fact, I’ve already ordered larger flags to replace them, which will arrive next week,” he stated. “If anyone burns those, we’ll replace them, too. The American and Gadsden flags will fly over Heartland’s global headquarters forever.”

• Editor’s observe: Jim Lakely is a former reporter for The Washington Times.

Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com