This week, pro-Hamas demonstrators on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill put on a disgraceful and pathetic display.
In a nutshell, protesters who were angry over the early morning arrests of an attempted encampment removed the American flag from the main campus. They replaced it with the Palestinian flag.
Although the protesters were amused, Lee Roberts was not. Roberts walked up to the pole, removed the Palestinian flag, and then re-flagged the U.S. Flag, much to the delight of nearby Jewish students. Roberts told reporters, in another pivotal moment, that the American flag will continue to fly above the campus for as long as Roberts is in charge.
What is not widely known is what happened after Roberts left the flagpole.
The pro-Hamas extremists then tried to take down the U.S. Flag again.
It turned out that a group of students led by a professor did not make things easy for them.
Guillermo Estrada is a university student who wrote about his experience in a powerful thread. Here is his account of the events:
(Thread) Today was a sad yet empowering day at Chapel Hill. When I walked to class, I saw the Palestinian flag raised on our quad flag pole, and was immediately upset at the act that these “protestors” had made. I cannot say I am fully educated on the Israel/Palestine conflict pic.twitter.com/tZrZEOSu8a
— Guillermo Estrada (@estradguillermo) April 30, 2024
But I was upset that the flag of my country was disrespected to promote another.
Shortly afterward, Roberts and police officers came to hang the flag again. The protesters were greeted with middle fingers, profanity bottles, rocks, and water.
The Greek community sang the National Anthem when the flag was raised again. The quad was in chaos when the Chancellor left. Protesters began to remove the flag again and prepare to destroy it.
It was my fraternity brother, along with others, who ran to the side to help me hold it so that it didn’t touch the ground. We were hurled water bottles, rocks, and sticks by people who called us vulgar names. We stood in front of the flag for over an hour, defending it from those who would do anything to defend it.
My parents moved to the United States and have been able to flourish there. They also raised two children. I was raised in a military community and witnessed first-hand the sacrifices that they make. I won’t stand for the disrespect that these “protestors”, cause to another country.
It will be a memorable LDOC because I know my fraternity and other brothers fought for the flag to stay up. It was also memorable to know that many wished to disrespect the flag.
This video is also powerful. The students below did their best to protect the flag against the mob even when people threw objects at them. Note the student standing near them, holding a folded Israeli flag. He is showing it to protesters and daring them to do or say anything.
Brendan Rosenblum, a junior and Jewish student at UNC-Chapel Hill, had water bottles thrown at him as he stood in the middle of the quad by with an Israeli flag while protesters tried to replace an American flag with a Palestinian one. Classes today have just been cancelled. pic.twitter.com/hUkPTXtLxj
— Bryan Anderson (@BryanRAnderson) April 30, 2024
Here’s the answer for anyone who wondered where the patriotic Americans could be when the pro-Hamas demonstrators were trying to tear down the American flag again.
They were there and made us proud. And they gave us hope that all is not lost in our increasingly crazy world.
