Donald Trump’s birthday parade is surely grabbing the spotlight but for all the wrong reasons. Besides the extremely low turnout and the overall mellow buzz that the parade experienced, there were also No Kings protests going on throughout America, showing how a chunk of American citizens did not support Trump’s blatant show of power on his birthday.
While these protests were going mostly peacefully, at some places there were arrests made by police as the authorities claimed that the protesters were being unlawful. One such arrest that has garnered a lot of attention is the one of an 87 years old veteran, named John Spitzberg.
Unlike Trump’s parade, Spitzberg’s arrest is grabbing people’s attention for the right reasons. The arrest has been captured in a video that shows how the police took Spitzberg off his walker and arrested him as the crowd chanted “shame’.
Hailing from Gainesville, Florida, Spitzberg was among the 75 people who allegedly crossed a police line while protesting on June 13, outside of the Supreme Court building. Fortunately, Spitzberg was released on Sunday and when he was asked how he felt about being arrested at his age, the man said, “I’m just beginning, my friend. I’m gonna just get a little sleep, but I’m starting again.” The video was posted by journalist Chuck Modi on his TikTok, which has caught the attention of the netizens.
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With over 2 million views, one comment under the video mentions, “That is Captain America right there!!!” Another person joined in, saying, “This man fought fascists back in the day and sadly still has to fight them today. But love that he is not giving up!”
As per Florida-based ABC affiliate WCJB, Spitzberg was enlisted in the air force and has spent his years in Romania, Ukraine, and Vietnam. The fact that despite being a veteran who had stood by the side of his country, Spitzberg was arrested for protesting against the ruling party, once again shows the Trump administration’s attitude toward anyone who dares to cross them.
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When Spitzberg was asked what were his thoughts on the attention he was receiving following his arrest, he said that he would want more people to focus on the subject of his protest rather than on him. He further added, “I’m really not the issue. The issue is what President Trump is doing. I’m not a leader there. I don’t wanna be a leader.”
Spitzberg’s appeal to people to focus on the subject of his protest, which was Trump’s military parade, shows how he truly cares for his country and its citizens and wants more people to do the same.
