Trump and Republicans applaud frat boys for participating in campus protests

Conservative circles have been up in arms over the wave of protests against the Israel-Hamas war on US college campuses, but they have found a group of activists they can celebrate: fraternity brothers and counter-protesters pushing back against pro-Palestinian students.

The Trump campaign released a video highlighting these patriotic counter-protesters, showcasing footage of fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina who defended an American flag from being replaced by a Palestinian flag. Fox News host Jesse Waters praised them, saying, “Patriotic fraternity brothers stepped in and said, not today Hamas.”

However, not all actions by these counter-protesters have been met with praise. At the University of Mississippi, a group of counter-protesters were seen mocking a Black woman filming the protests, with one individual making racist gestures and noises. The incident drew criticism and highlighted the racial tensions at the conservative university.

Despite the controversy, supporters of the counter-protesters have emerged, with Mississippi governor Tate Reeves praising them for drowning out pro-Palestinian activists by singing the national anthem. Laura Ingraham of Fox News also interviewed one of the UNC students, dismissing pro-Palestinian activists as “make-believe warriors” and “dweebs who never really played a sport.”

The Trump campaign and other conservative figures are not the only ones celebrating these counter-protesters. A GoFundMe campaign raised $500,000 for the UNC students, and country singer John Rich offered to perform a free concert for them. The clash between frat brothers and pro-Palestinian activists on college campuses has become a focal point of the ongoing debate surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict in the US.