Hundreds of onlookers who gathered in Yosemite National Park to witness the annual firefall display got more than they bargained for when demonstrators took the opportunity to fly an inverted US flag over El Capitan to protest the Trump administration's recent hiring freeze.
The crowd had gathered at the base of the 7,500-foot cliff to view the annual phenomenon, created when Horsetail Falls is backlit at sunset, when six climbers rappelled down to secure the upside-down American flag. Flying a flag upside was traditionally used at sea to show a ship was in distress, and has since been embraced as a symbol of protest. The flag remained in position for several hours before the climbers removed it.
