Demonstrations in support of Palestine at the University of Mississippi were disrupted by counter protesters on Thursday, leading to a widely circulated video of white students mocking a Black student. An elected Republican official commended the video on social media.
“Ole Miss handling things well,” Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) posted on social media platform X.
The video has faced strong criticism for the racist behavior of the students. Collins has also faced backlash for supporting the actions in the video.
The Hill has contacted Collins’ team to inquire about his intentions in sharing the video.
In the video, a white student can be seen making monkey noises and gestures toward a Black female graduate student.
The woman, who was standing alone and recording, was being escorted backwards by police while a group of white students cheered, clapped, yelled, and gestured offensively. The camera then focuses on the man who imitated a monkey howl and jumped up and down.
“Students were demanding an end to genocide. They were met with racism,” James M. Thomas, a sociology professor at the university stated on X.
Other videos shared online show a larger crowd of about 200 people surrounding the protesters and shouting. Counter protesters sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” to drown out chants from pro-Palestinian protesters, who were calling for Israel to “Stop the Genocide” and for the U.S. to cease supplying weapons for the war.
About 76 percent of the university’s students were white, and around 11 percent were Black during the 2022-23 school year, according to The Associated Press..
University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce acknowledged that the school was aware of “offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable statements, including actions conveying hostility and racist overtones.”
Boyce mentioned that the school has initiated a student conduct inquiry into one student, but privacy laws prevented him from disclosing the identity. He indicated that some individuals behaved in a manner contradictory to university principles.
“Although we are a modern university with a lively community of over 25,000 people, it is important to recognize our tumultuous history, and incidents such as this can hold us back,” he wrote in an email to the campus community. “This is why we take this matter seriously and cannot allow the inappropriate conduct of a few to represent our institution or define us.”
Republican Governor Tate Reeves also shared a video from the protest, expressing his warm feelings and love for Mississippi.
The counter protesters, who were seen holding a Trump 2024 flag, were also praised by former President Trump, who released a campaign ad featuring a clip from the Mississippi protest. The ad included footage from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where students have also gained attention for displaying the American flag after protesters attempted to remove it.
