In countries where it is not, the act may still be prosecuted as disorderly conduct, arson, or if conducted on someone else's property as theft or vandalism.īy jurisdiction Algeria It may also be a protest at the very laws prohibiting the act of desecrating a flag.īurning or defacing a flag is a crime in some countries. According to article 160 bis of the Algerian penal code, the intentional and public shredding, distortion, or desecration of the national flag is punishable by 5 to 10 years of imprisonment. In 2010, an Algerian court convicted 18 people of flag desecration and punished them by up to 6 years of imprisonment and $10,000 in fines after protests about jobs and housing.
