(StraightNews.org) – Members of a college fraternity protected the American flag after pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to tear it down. Footage posted to social media showed members of the Pi Kappa Phi, Alpha Epsilon Pi, and Pi Kappa Psi fraternities at the University of North Carolina surrounding the flag and preventing it from hitting the ground. A GoFundMe campaign raised $400,000 for the students, as grateful Americans donated to pay for a huge celebration.
The footage shows the young men holding the flag while protestors shouted and threw liquids at them. One student is also seen defiantly holding an Israeli flag. Fraternity member Brendan Rosenblum said he refused to allow the desecration of Old Glory because it represents what he believes in.
University Chancellor Lee Roberts re-hoisted the Stars and Stripes, but attacks continued until police formed a protective barrier around the flagpole.
The US flag has increasingly become a target for student demonstrators nationwide. On several campuses, anti-Israel students replaced it with Palestinian flags, prompting outrage from students and officials.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams expressed disgust when demonstrators tore down the Stars and Strips at the City College of New York. Mayor Adams said, “That’s our flag, folks.” He told reporters that his uncle died in the Vietnam War and said it was “despicable” to replace the American flag with one from a foreign land.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Palestinian children were photographed holding up signs thanking American students for their protests – which have flared across America and resulted in more than 1,000 arrests. The display took place near the southern town of Rafah, described by Israel as the last remaining stronghold of Hamas fighters. “Your message has reached us. Thank you, students of Columbia,” some signs read, while others stated, “Stop the bloodshed and return us to education.”
Rafah has become a flashpoint of tension between the US and Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promises to mount a ground invasion while the Biden administration urges restraint.
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