Racial discrimination, once notoriously prevalent in the southern U.S., is rearing its head again. Some individuals were seen surrounding a group of peaceful protesters supporting Palestine, making monkey noises at a black woman and throwing water bottles in a display of offensive behavior. These individuals were seen waving the Confederate flag and banners supporting former President Donald Trump. A Republican politician responded to these actions by posting on social media, “It warms my heart.”
According to the British daily newspaper The Guardian, on the 4th (local time), a protest against the Gaza war was held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, on the 2nd, organized by the student group UMiss for Palestine.
The protesters, numbering in the dozens, held placards with phrases such as “Jesus was a Palestinian,” “Stop the genocide,” and “Sever ties with Israel.”
However, a counter-protest group of hundreds, waving the Confederate flag and banners supporting former President Trump, emerged. According to local media outlets such as The Oxford Eagle, both groups dissolved within an hour. The predominantly white male counter-protesters exhibited offensive behavior towards a black woman from the pro-Palestine group, including making monkey noises and eventually throwing items such as water bottles. Police, who were on standby for any potential incidents, dispersed both groups.
The Guardian noted, “This scene revives memories of resistance against (black) civil rights struggles in the southern U.S. 60 years ago.”
The Mississippi branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) issued a statement harshly criticizing the counter-protesters, saying, “The behavior witnessed today is not only hateful but unacceptable.” On the other hand, Mississippi Republican Governor Tate Reeves stirred further controversy by posting a video of the counter-protesters singing the national anthem on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “Watch with the sound on. It warms my heart. I love Mississippi.”
The group claimed in a statement after the rally, “(The University of Mississippi) is providing a venue for U.S. military officials involved in the massacre of Palestinians through aerospace and defense-related conferences.”
The University of Mississippi has a history of racial controversies. In 1962, white students rioted against the admission of the university’s first black student, James Meredith. In 2012, hundreds of students gathered in front of the student union building and staged a protest, shouting political slogans and racial slurs after President Barack Obama was re-elected.
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