A scene Tuesday at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill proves that patriotism isn’t dead on all American college campuses.
While an American flag was hoisted up the tall flagpole in the middle of the UNC campus, students chanted “USA, USA, USA” and later burst into a rendition of the national anthem.
The patriotic display at UNC came after pro-Palestine protesters removed an American flag from the pole and replaced it with a Palestinian flag. The anti-Israel protesters then surrounded the pole and chanted “intifada” and “free, free Palestine,” videos shared on X by UNC’s student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, show.
As at other campuses, UNC’s anti-Israel protesters are vocal in their support for Palestinians and often use antisemitic language.
The protests at campuses across the nation came about seven months after Hamas terrorists from the adjacent Gaza Strip invaded southern Israel, raping and torturing many and taking hostages. Israel Defense Forces continue to strike back hard in Gaza, where Hamas, the elected government, uses ordinary Palestinian civilians as shields.
UNC’s interim chancellor, Lee Roberts, flanked by police, moved through the protest Tuesday and took down the Palestinian flag. He restored the American flag to the pole, triggering the pro-American chants.
“That flag will stand here as long as I’m chancellor,” Lee told reporters present, pointing to the banner.
“Tell the students that we’re going to keep them safe from a very small minority of students who want to disrupt their experience,” he said, adding, “This university is for everybody.”
After the chancellor left, pro-Palestine protesters lowered the American flag again.
This time, a group of fraternity brothers stepped in and held up the flag so it wouldn’t touch the ground. Meanwhile, some pro-Palestine protesters yelled insults at the young men and threw water bottles at them.
Warning: The video below contains explicit language.
Commenting on the UNC fraternity brothers’ actions, Kari Lake, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Arizona, wrote on X: “If any of these GREAT Young Men want a PAID summer internship with my campaign, consider yourself HIRED.”
Pro-Palestine protests and related encampments broke out on college campuses across America in April.
Columbia University in New York was the first campus to experience the anti-Israel protests. Tuesday night, the New York Police Department made more than 100 arrests at Columbia as officers cleared protesters’ encampment on campus and Hamilton Hall, a building that protesters had taken over.
On this week’s edition of the “Problematic Women” podcast, we discuss the ongoing pro-Palestine protests on college campuses and how professors have encouraged an anti-American sentiment among students.
Also on today’s show, we debunk Nicole Wallace’s claim that former President Donald Trump is one of the greatest threats to journalists in America. And Taylor Swift isn’t the only one hitting the top of her professional chart this year. Travis Kelce just had a record-breaking payday, but his brother might be the wealthier man where it counts. And as always, we’ll be crowning our Problematic Woman of the Week!
Listen to the podcast below:
