So the crowd didn’t stomp the guy; the authorities did it for him.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

Are you okay with burning the US flag as an expression of free speech but not the pride flag?

You are allowed to burn the pride flag as an expression of free speech without sanction or penalty by the government. You can do it right now. Go to the store, buy a pride flag, and burn it on your own property. The government won't do anything to you.

What you're not allowed to do is steal someone else's pride flag and burn it on someone else's property. Just like you're not allowed to steal someone else's American flag and burn it on someone else's property. You'll go to jail for either of them.

If you deliberately do everything possible to tick off every single box in the sentencing guidelines to try to get the maximum criminal penalty for either crime, then you'll get the maximum penalty for either crime. If you act like a 'normal' criminal defendant and behave during the trial and express remorse for your criminal acts, you'll get a fairly ordinary sentence for either crime.