“Sandwich Guy,” an icon of resistance in Washington

Los Angeles waved its Mexican flags during the "No Kings" protests against Donald Trump's policies and ICE raids. Washington now has its sandwich throwers.

While the streets of the federal capital have been taken over by the National Guard on the orders of the American president to deal with a crime rate that he describes as “totally out of control,” many residents are protesting against this act of force that they consider unjustified, reports The Washington Post .

Among them is Sean Charles Dunn. A few weeks ago, he appeared in a video that went viral in which he is seen attack federal agents on patrol.

“Go f---- yourselves, fascists. […] I don’t want you in my city!” he told them, reports the American daily.

“A few minutes later, he returned, continued to shout, and threw his sandwich – a salami sandwich, the Washington Post confirmed – before attempting to flee on foot.”

In the days following the incident, The Justice Department employee was arrested at his home and fired. He was later charged with a “serious offense” and faces up to eight years in prison.

However, the man whom the protesters now nickname "Sandwich Guy" has become an "icon of resistance" in Washington, the daily newspaper in the federal capital points out.

Shortly after the sandwich toss, references to Sean Charles Dunn and his snack bar began popping up all over town and on social media.

“Memes and artistic reappropriations were quick to flood social media in Washington. At protests, some people are holding up Subway sandwiches like others would raise their fists. And, of course, it’s now possible to buy a T-shirt of this symbol of

the rebellion.”

The American daily newspaper The Washington Post

Among these many tributes to Sandwich Guy, the Washington Post mentions a poster seen on many walls in the city which diverts the famous work Flower Thrower by street artist Banksy by putting a sandwich in the hands of the character instead of the bouquet.

“Protest art is nothing new, especially in Washington,” the headline notes .

During the mass protests following the death of George Floyd, who was suffocated by a police officer on May 25, 2020, “the phrase 'I can't breathe' was graffitied in alleys and scrawled on posters.”

Even outside of times of strong mobilization, the federal capital is regularly the scene of protest artistic installations.

“Remember the poop statue , that swirling pile perched on a replica of Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s desk,” the Washington Post recalls. “Or its sequel, the 8-foot statue titled Dictator Approved, with its golden thumb crushing the Statue of Liberty’s crown, both on the National Mall.” —