White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre praised fraternity students at University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill for protecting the American flag against anti-Israel protesters.
A part of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity guarded the American flag and sang the national anthem as anti-Israel protesters attempted to occupy their campus. The fraternity protected the newly hoisted flag after the university’s interim chancellor took down the Palestinian flag put up by the UNC Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, who had been rallying on campus for five days.
A GoFundMe page, which has raised $516,672 as of Friday, was set up to throw the frat boys a “rager” in honor of them protecting the flag. Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked whether President Joe Biden would donate.
“You never disappoint,” Jean-Pierre replied, followed by her reiterating American’s right to protest. “It is not right to forcefully take down the American flag to replace it with another flag. It is not right. And so I just wanted to make that clear as well,” Jean-Pierre said.
“So a donation? What about like a call to thank them for saving the flag?” Doocy asked.
“Look, protecting the American flag is admirable,” the press secretary replied. “I’ll leave it there, Peter.”
American billionaire and activist investor Bill Ackman donated $10,000 to the students who protected the flag against “[c]ommie losers” and “the unwashed Marxist horde.” (RELATED: KJP Short-Circuits When Doocy Questions Who Is Funding Campus Protests)
Police dispersed the crowd at Polk Place and arrested six individuals, CBS 17 reported. UNC told the outlet three of the arrested attended the school.
The university’s interim chancellor Lee H. Roberts expressed disappointment in the protesters’ violation of “state law and University policies” and said he is “alarmed” by the alleged antisemitic language in an April 30 statement.
“No one has the right to disrupt campus operations materially, nor to threaten or intimidate our students, nor to damage and destroy public property,” Roberts added.
Anti-Israel protests have erupted on college campuses all over the U.S. as students and outside influencers attempt to “occupy” colleges and universities over their alleged ties to Israel. A mob of over 200 protesters allegedly smashed into Hamilton Hall at Columbia University and barricaded the building, according to CNN. A Columbia facilities employee alleged that the protesters held him hostage, the Columbia Spectator reported.
Hundreds of protesters have been detained since mid-April for refusing to break up the encampments and so-called occupation of the campus and in some cases, engaging in violence with law enforcement.