4Chan Users Attempt to Torch ‘He Will Not Divide Us’ Flag With Flaming Drone

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Oct 30, 2017
Flaming drone engaging with “He Will Not Divide Us” flag. (Screenshot)

The internet’s most amazing game of capture the flag continued last week, as a gutsy 4Chan user attempted to use a ball of fire suspended from a drone to destroy Shia Labeouf’s “He Will Not Divide Us” flag.

While the brazen drone operator was unsuccessful in setting the flag ablaze, it is unlikely that further attempts won’t be made. The flag is currently flying above the Le Lieu Unique Gallery in the French city of Nantes.

“An uunauthorizeddrone carrying a burning piece of cloth approached the flag to try to set it alight. The fireproof flag was undamaged and the attempt failed,” the Le Lieu Unique Gallery said in a statement to Yahoo News regarding the attempt.

For those who missed the first few rounds, ‘He Will Not Divide Us’ first began as an art installation in New York City, with the actor and artists Luke Turner and Nastja Rönko setting up a camera to livestream outside the Museum of the Moving Image for the duration of President Donald Trump’s term. Protesters were encouraged to visit the camera and chant “He Will Not Divide Us,” but it became a frequent attraction for trolls — particularly from 4Chan.

“Open to all, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the participatory performance will be live-streamed continuously for four years, or the duration of the presidency. In this way, the mantra “HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US” acts as a show of resistance or insistence, opposition or optimism, guided by the spirit of each individual participant and the community,” the description of the installation read.

Less than a week into the installation’s existence, Labeouf was arrested on the livestream on suspicion of assault.

On February 10th, 2017, the livestream was removed due to alterations taking place between trolls, Trump supporters, and the protesters.

“The installation created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard for the museum, its visitors, its staff, local residents and businesses. The installation had become a flashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent. While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly after one of the artists was arrested at the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action,” Page Six reported at the time.

Just over a week later, the camera was moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the camera was quickly vandalized with paint. After gunshots were heard in the area of the installation it was removed, once again.

This is when the real fun began. Realizing that his streams were a failure, Labeouf opted to instead use a webcam pointed at a flag featuring the phrase in an undisclosed location. Users of the 4chan forum began using flight patterns and mapping stars to determine it’s location.

https://twitter.com/Trigg3rH4ppySOB/status/839612846640087042

On March 9, the flag was replaced with a  “Make America Great Again” hat and Pepe the Frog shirt.

At this point, the determined actor decided to take the flag out of America all together, relocating the stream to Liverpool. Unfortunately for Labeouf, the internet was determined, and just one day later the pole was empty — and the last image on the stream before going dark was a masked man.

In October, the flag was moved to France — where it is currently being targeted.

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