Political movements are often defined by the power of an enduring symbol. Winston Churchill popularised “V for Victory”; Gandhi had his spinning wheel.

For those demonstrating against Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime in Washington DC, it came in the form of a sandwich.

Sean Charles Dunn, who has come to be known as “Sandwich Guy”, was spared a felony charge last week after a grand jury refused to indict him for hurling a salami sub at a customs and border protection officer.

Had Mr Dunn been charged, he would have been facing a prison sentence of up to eight years for felony assault – a crime that usually involves a deadly weapon or serious bodily harm.

In the end, he lost his job, was accused of being a member of the “deep state” and now faces a reduced charge of misdemeanour assault.

But since footage of the incident went viral, he has attained folklore status among Mr Trump’s opponents. Meanwhile, the Subway sandwich has emerged as an unlikely symbol of resistance.

“Sometimes, all you need to do is throw a sandwich at a fed to spark a revolution,” said one protester outside Washington DC’s Union station.