WASHINGTON (Reuters) — US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday directing the attorney general to prosecute those who burn or in any way desecrate the American flag, leading to criticism by free speech advocates.

“If you burn a flag, you get one year in jail, no early exits, no nothing,” Trump said as he signed the order in the Oval Office.

The order instructs the attorney general to “vigorously prosecute” people who violate flag desecration laws and to pursue litigation to clarify the scope of the First Amendment regarding the issue.

The US Constitution’s First Amendment protects individuals’ free speech rights. The US Supreme Court held in 1989 that burning or otherwise destroying the nation’s flag was protected as a free speech right.

“You don’t have to like flag burning. You can condemn it, debate it, or hoist your own flag even higher. The beauty of free speech is that you get to express your opinions, even if others don’t like what you have to say,” the free speech group Foundation for Individual........

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