As of recently, pro-Palestine protests have been organized on college campuses across the country. However, it appears that students at southern universities with more of a reputation for conservatism are responding with counterprotests that drown out the anti-Israel demonstrations.
Footage from Ole Miss shows students in Oxford, Mississippi, countering the pro-Palestine crowd with Trump memorabilia and loud “we want Trump” chants. Based on the short clip uploaded to X, it would appear the pro-Palestine crowd was vastly outnumbered.
Reports indicate that the incident happened at the Quad on the University of Mississippi’s campus on Thursday, where estimates suggest 50-60 individuals were protesting Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. However, over 200 counter-protestors showed up in responses, outnumbering the protestors nearly four-to-one.
Apparently, the counter-response even delivered a patriotic display, singing the Star-Spangled Banner. Mississippi’s Republican governor, Tate Reeves, noted that he was aware of the protest, ensuring sufficient law enforcement resources were being allocated to the scene.
“Mississippi law enforcement is also aware. And they are prepared. Campus police, City, County, and State assets are being deployed and coordinated. We will offer a unified response with one mission: Peaceful protests are allowed and protected – no matter how outrageous those protesters views may seem to some of us. But unlawful behavior will not be tolerated. It will be dealt with accordingly,” said Reeves.
Other universities nationwide have had similar counter-protests, seemingly concentrated in the southeast. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently took swift action to restore an American flag after protestors took it down and replaced it with a Palestinian flag.
Notably, the university’s chancellor, Lee Roberts, personally led a group of law enforcement officers to the flag pole where the American flag was raised again. Roberts then spoke to the press, maintaining that protestors would not disrupt the campus and disrespect the American flag.
“This university doesn’t belong to a small group of protesters. It belongs to every citizen of North Carolina. Everybody in North Carolina, everybody who goes to school here, everybody who lives and works here. The flag represents all of us. To take down that flag and put up another flag, no matter what other flag it is. That’s antithetical to who we are. What this university stands for and what we have done for 229 years,” Roberts said.
The UNC protestors reportedly attempted to remove the American flag a second time. However, members of a local fraternity refused to see the Red, White, and Blue disrespected yet again. The group of young men, members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, stood around the flag in solidarity as protestors hurled water and objects at them.
The frat stars have subsequently raised nearly half a million dollars from a fundraiser to throw a party in light of their heroic actions, which defended the American flag. They even managed to solicit a whopping $10,000 donation from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. Conservatives have praised the college students for standing up to the protests on UNC’s campus.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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