Honestly (to go off-topic) I can't understand the sort of... sacredness? of books nowadays.
Could understand waaaaaaaaaaay back when, when each book had to be transcribed rather than printed and thus you might actually have the only copy, but we mass produce books to such a stupid extent nowadays that when I was working in a charity shop we had a shed full of books for recycling that just got dumped in there willy-nilly because nobody'd buy them. They're a dime a dozen and so long as society doesn't collapse it'll stay that way.
If anything, that's just another reason. I mean I'm not particularly desirous of "destroying fundamental data", as well, but destroying a copy is a gesture that I don't think I'd make either. Rare copies of old books (or anything not originally rare but actively endangered by such a practice) are indeed a loss to be avoided, but I don't treat that as my moral/practical limit on the issue.
Apparently there's been a good market in Iran for the Stars And Stripes flag (extra flammable!), at times. While there are some who would definitely treat that as a mortal insult (and others, similarly patriotic to the US but more philosophical, might even personally treat it more as a sign of positive affirmation of their homeland's status w.r.t. that of Iran), again I'm just bemused by the practice.
And, short of a suitably-scoped Infinity Glove finger-snap, these things are pretty much reduced to a gesture. One that doesn't achieve the stated aim in any realistic manner, so any truly considered motivation for the act can only really be justified as the means to a different ends, an intent that I just cannot relate to right now.
(But fill 'yer boots, those who do.)