Support truly
independent journalism
Fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina who held up an American flag during a Gaza solidarity demonstration in the spring will speak at the RNC, according to Donald Trump’s campaign.
“A group of students and fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill patriotically protected an American flag that had been disturbed by demonstrators during an anti-Israel protest on their campus,” the Trump campaign said on July 12.
“The students gained national attention as videos of the protest showed them standing strong to protect the American flag, even as protestors antagonized them,” according the campaign continued.
The campaign did not name specific fraternities or their members.
The fraternity members are among a group of “everyday Americans” who were given a speaking role at the convention, which starts Monday in Milwaukee.
The four-day RNC gathering will include two dozen “everyday American” speakers. The campaign said the RNC “will provide a platform and voice for the workers, veterans, and families left behind in Joe Biden’s America.”
The fraternity brothers made national headlines on April 30 for holding up the American flag on a flagpole after protesters tried to remove it.
Demonstrators had already taken down the flag once and successfully replaced it with a Palestinian flag, photos and videos of the event reveal. Chants of “USA!” then overwhelmed the crowd.
The interim chancellor announced that the American flag “will stand here as long as I’m chancellor.”
Police arrested more than 30 protesters at UNC-Chapel Hill that day.
The school was one of dozens of colleges across the country that held student-led demonstrations over the ongoing war in the Middle East.
