As anti-Israel rioters occupy college campuses and harass Jewish students in the name of supporting Palestine, brave young men are standing up to them, rallying around the American flag and the national anthem in counterprotest. This patriotic—or, as conservative Gen Zers might say, “based”—backlash may set a new tone as America moves from a destructive spring into a more hopeful summer.
Anti-Israel protesters replaced the American flag on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s quad with a Palestinian flag on April 30. Police restored the American flag, and then about 30 members of the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi stood around the flag, defending it from anti-Israel protesters as they attempted to take it down again.
Videos of the brave frat boys spread online, and Americans cheered the patriotic young men.
Leaders from both sides of the aisle celebrated the fraternity brothers.
“Protecting the American flag is admirable,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the young men’s actions. “It is not right to forcefully take down the American flag to replace it with another flag.”
Former President Donald Trump released a video celebrating the young men.
Trump’s video included footage of other young men holding aloft the American flag and singing the national anthem.
The video shows scenes from the University of Alabama, the University of Louisiana, and the University of Mississippi.
As anti-Israel protesters chant, “Free, free Palestine!” frat boys line up on the other side, drowning out their chants with patriotic songs. There’s only one word for it: based.
A crowdfunding campaign to throw a “rager” for the men raised more than $500,000 on GoFundMe.
Ultra Right Beer, a conservative brand of “woke-free” beer that launched to rival Bud Light last year, celebrated the trend by promising free beer at an upcoming event called the “Frat Boy Summer Kickoff.” The company has delayed the event “due to mass popularity.”
Many Americans fear that 2024 will echo the riots of 2020, where black bloc thugs took over portions of Portland and Seattle and ran rampant through cities, looting and burning. Yet if these “frat boy summer” parties take off, they may inspire more young men to embrace America’s good heritage. These counterprotests capture the spirit of being “based,” Gen Z slang for “true,” “cool,” the opposite of cringe, and increasingly “conservative.”
Former Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan should take note: This would be far closer to a true “Summer of Love” than the destructive riots that featured the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone.”
Not every counterprotest featuring the American flag has clear fraternity involvement. After anti-Israel protesters removed the American flag at the University of Chicago and flew a Palestinian flag in its place, counterprotesters marched with American flags. These young men may or may not be fraternity brothers, but they still answered what some on social media call the “Frat Signal.”
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and his colleagues filed a resolution in Congress celebrating the young men.
“A group of patriotic fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina protected the American flag from being desecrated and replaced with a Palestinian flag by violent, anti-American, and anti-Israel individuals,” the resolution states. “The people of the United States celebrate these patriotic fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina and have sought to recognize and reward their heroic actions against the violent, anti-American, and anti-Israel individuals.”
The resolution adds: “Fraternities can serve as institutions that promote patriotism, brotherhood, and overall support for the common good.”
Fraternities and sororities represent the visceral human need for initiation into a secret tradition as well as the classic American spirit of free association. While “hazing” rituals may seem obnoxious from the outside (and some can go too far), there’s nothing like the thrill of getting inducted into a secret society.
My own fraternity, Mu Alpha, fosters music, virtue, and brotherhood in a dry house on Hillsdale College’s campus. We’re not connected to any national organization, but we have our secrets and rituals. If some wrongheaded Hillsdale students—or more likely, outside agitators—removed the American flag on the Quad, Mu Alphans would be the first to take up positions and defend it.
Some fraternities push their celebrations too far, but these men want to stand for something—and their brave, stance-taking position around our flag shows their willingness to defend the noble values that built America. They deserve a massive party.
Here’s a toast to all the men who follow their example and respond to antisemitic vitriol with patriotism!
