Displaying a U.S. flag upside down is "a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."[138] It has been used by extension to make a statement about distress in civic, political, or other areas.[139] It is most often meant as political protest, and is usually interpreted as such. The musical group Rage Against the Machine, a group known for songs expressing revolutionary political views, displayed two upside-down American flags from their amplifiers on the April 13, 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live. This was intended to indicate protest about the host, billionaire businessman Steve Forbes. The flags were ripped down by stagehands about 20 seconds before the group's performance of "Bulls on Parade". Afterward, show officials asked band members to leave the building as they were waiting in their dressing room to perform "Bullet in the Head" later in the show.[140]
Flying flags upside down has been used as a sign of protest against U.S. Presidents.[141]
In 2020, as protests spread across the U.S. demanding an end to police brutality, some U.S. citizens chose to fly their flags upside down as part of the protests.
"Winter knows from Yates that Irwin ultimately plans to raise the American flag upside down, signaling distress."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Castle
Flying a U.S. flag upside down
Displaying a U.S. flag upside down is "a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property."[138] It has been used by extension to make a statement about distress in civic, political, or other areas.[139] It is most often meant as political protest, and is usually interpreted as such. The musical group Rage Against the Machine, a group known for songs expressing revolutionary political views, displayed two upside-down American flags from their amplifiers on the April 13, 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live. This was intended to indicate protest about the host, billionaire businessman Steve Forbes. The flags were ripped down by stagehands about 20 seconds before the group's performance of "Bulls on Parade". Afterward, show officials asked band members to leave the building as they were waiting in their dressing room to perform "Bullet in the Head" later in the show.[140]
Flying flags upside down has been used as a sign of protest against U.S. Presidents.[141]
In 2020, as protests spread across the U.S. demanding an end to police brutality, some U.S. citizens chose to fly their flags upside down as part of the protests.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_desecration#Flying_a_U.S._flag_upside_down
FYI for our younger and foreign lurkers...