In a noticeable effort to grab attention, protesters put up an upside-down American flag on El Capitan at a time when visitors were gathered in droves. Yosemite National Park employees hoisted a massive American flag upside-down on El Capitan on Saturday. Pictures of the dramatic display thousands of feet off the ground caught the internet’s attention over the weekend. Hundreds of photographers and climbers gather in Yosemite Valley each year for the natural Firefall at Horsetail Fall, making it the perfect chance for the employees to catch the world’s attention with the bold move. This weekend served as the last one to witness the annual sunlit spectacle.
The Free Speech Centre describes the striking demonstration of hoisting an upside-down flag, stating that it has been “argued that the practice of flying a flag upside down was used by ships that were in distress, and only much later became a symbol of political protest. The U.S. flag code, which is not legally enforceable, specifically says that the flag is not to be inverted ‘except as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property.” Yosemite National Park’s employees’ move then stepped in as an act of protest against the Trump administration’s recent federal job cuts. These layoffs and targetted reductions resulted in the termination of 11 full-time staff members at Yosemite, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
Upside-down US flag in Yosemite National Park: Protesters release statement
“The purpose of this exercise of free speech is to disrupt without violence and draw attention to the fact that public lands in the United States are under attack,” the protesters highlighted in a statement released shortly after the stunt.
“The Department of the Interior issued a series of secretarial orders that position drilling and mining interests as the favored uses of America’s public lands and threaten to scrap existing land protections and conservation measures. Firing 1,000s of staff regardless of position or performance across the nation is the first step in destabilizing the protections in place for these great places.” The statement added, “These losses, while deeply personal and impactful, may also be invisible to visitors and members of the public—we are shining a spotlight on them by putting a distress flag on El Capitan in view of Firefall. Think of it as your public lands on strike”. Yosemite employees usually live in housing conditions offered to them with the job in the park itself. As a result, job termination also brings the fears of residence stability for many.
