ME: He was arrested, charged, tried,, convicted, and sentenced to 16 years.

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

I think you mean "the authorities did it for them.

No. If you looked at the picture of the article, he wasn't beaten. We'll see if he gets out after 5 years.

DOPE: Now we’re getting somewhere.

No, we aren't. You just segued to a different act without acknowledging that your original hypo was countered by reality on the ground,

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

Wrong question Dope. Burning the American Flag is usually done as speech against a GOVERNMENT action or policy. Burn it as protest of the Vietnam War and it's free political speech. Burn the same flag with a statement that all Americans should be killed, wiped off the face of the earth and the entire continent, and have a history of priors, some with violence, while being unapologetic about your actions, and it may cross over to hate speech, which is not protected political speech. Burning the American Flag in that respect doesn't protest a government action, but the people themselves for existing.

So the same act of burning the American Flag can become hate speech which falls outside of protected political speech, methinks.