Flag-burning SF man arrested during GOP convention sues Cleveland, Infowars

FILE - In this July 20, 2016 file photo, a law enforcement officer takes Gregory Johnson into custody after he started to burn an American flag in Cleveland, during the third day of the Republican convention. President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that anyone who burns an American flag should face unspecified "consequences," such as jail or a loss of citizenship _ a move that was ruled out by the Supreme Court nearly three decades ago. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) less FILE - In this July 20, 2016 file photo, a law enforcement officer takes Gregory Johnson into custody after he started to burn an American flag in Cleveland, during the third day of the Republican convention. ... more Photo: John Minchillo Photo: John Minchillo Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Flag-burning SF man arrested during GOP convention sues Cleveland, Infowars 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

A San Francisco man and Communist activist who was arrested for burning a flag at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland is suing the Ohio city, police, and the conspiracy theory-mongering site Infowars.

The suit, filed in federal court in Cleveland on Thursday, alleges the man was arrested on false pretenses and his free speech rights violated after two men affiliated with Infowars claimed he hit them during the flag-burning protest at the convention.

The man, Gregory Lee Johnson, first gained notoriety when he burned an American flag at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas. That case, Texas v. Johnson, advanced to the Supreme Court, which found flag-burning is protected speech under the First Amendment.

Johnson was later called a "bearded weirdo" by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

"I would send that guy to jail so fast if I were king," Scalia said at a question-and-answer session in Brooklyn in 2014.

It would seem that three decades later, Johnson has not tired of flag-burning.

Johnson was charged with misdemeanor assault in the Cleveland incident, but the charges were dropped in January 2017, according to the lawsuit.

A Cleveland city spokesman and representatives of Infowars didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

The AP contributed to this report.

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter