{"id":1826,"date":"2026-06-16T19:37:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1826"},"modified":"2026-06-16T19:37:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T19:37:47","slug":"chicago-socialist-asian-student-says-cross-burning-was-anti-trump-protest-gone-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1826","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Socialist Asian Student Says Cross Burning Was Anti-Trump Protest Gone Wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Chicago college student admitted he torched a cross in Grant Park to protest President Donald Trump, insisting the act carried no racist intent.<\/p>\n

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Fire crews knocked down the blaze near Columbus and Balbo drives around 2:30 p.m. on June 9, according to ABC7 Chicago. Police took a person of interest into custody Tuesday and have filed no charges, treating the case as arson, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.<\/p>\n

The man who claimed responsibility is Merlin Lu, a 21-year-old University of Illinois Chicago senior who grew up in Naperville, according to NBC 5. (RELATED: Two Men Burned Down Catholic Church In Revenge Plot Ahead Of Holy Week, DOJ Announces)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lu told the station he carried wooden slats from his Near West Side apartment, built the cross, capped it with a red MAGA hat, and set it on fire with toilet paper and lighter fluid.<\/p>\n

Lu denied any bigotry, saying he meant to protest the Trump administration \u201cruling class\u201d and Christian nationalists who back the president. \u201cI did know about this historical relevance beforehand, but I didn\u2019t know the severity, how racially motivated it may seem from what I did,\u201d Lu told NBC 5. \u201cCause my protest has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with gender.\u201d<\/p>\n

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