A group of students from the University of North Carolina has gained fame for protecting the American flag, prompting someone to initiate a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe to raise funds for a party to show gratitude to them.
As of Thursday (May 2nd), the initiative has raised a total of $400,000 in less than two days. The initial fundraising goal was $15,000, which was later increased to $35,000 and then $50,000.
On Tuesday (April 30th), at the campus of the UNC Chapel Hill, pro-Palestine Hamas protesters broke through police barricades, tore down the American flag at the main square, and raised a Palestinian flag.
After the university officials intervened and re-raised the American flag, the protesters once again attempted to lower the American flag and damaged it.
Videos circulating on social media captured members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and other students at the university rushing to raise the lowered American flag, ensuring that it did not touch the ground.
Despite being pelted with water bottles, rocks, sticks, and insults by the protesters, they stood steadfast under the flagpole for an hour, defending the American flag.
Their actions have resonated with many people.
On Wednesday morning (May 1st), a fundraising campaign titled “Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Defending the Flag” was launched on GoFundMe. Within hours of its launch, the fundraising campaign successfully reached its goal.
Among the donors was billionaire investor Bill Ackman, who contributed $10,000 to their cause.
“These boys – no, the brothers of Pi Kappa Phi at UNC Chapel Hill have shown the best spirit of America, and now they deserve the highest praise,” the GoFundMe campaign stated.
The University of North Carolina is among the top elite universities in the U.S. where intense protest activities related to the Israel-Gaza conflict have erupted.
Before the flag incident on Tuesday, the police had already arrested 36 pro-Palestine protesters who defied police orders and clashed with officers. According to local media reports, of the 36 arrested individuals, only 10 were students at the university.
Guillermo Estrada, a student at UNC Chapel Hill and a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, uploaded a video and a lengthy post on social media, expressing his discomfort upon seeing the Palestinian flag raised on one of the school’s flagpoles.
“I can’t say I fully understand the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” he wrote, “but advocating for another country’s flag without respecting our own flag makes me very unhappy.”
Shortly after, interim chancellor Lee Roberts arrived with police to help raise the American flag back to its original position.
When the chancellor left, chaos ensued on the square as the protesters once again attempted to lower the American flag and prepare to destroy it.
“After the chancellor left, pro-Palestinians began removing the flag again. The fraternity brothers and I rushed to raise the flag to prevent it from touching the ground,” Estrada wrote. “Those protesters started throwing water bottles, rocks, and sticks at us, and insulting us. We stood for an hour, defending and protecting the flag that many have fought for.”
He mentioned that his parents immigrated to the U.S., starting a new life in America, a country that helped them prosper and raised two children.
Estrada said, “I grew up in a military community and witnessed the sacrifices they made. I won’t tolerate this disrespect of our flag by these so-called protesters under the guise of another country.”
“This experience will be unforgettable, as I know the fraternity brothers and others fought to keep the flag flying high. But equally distressing is realizing that so many people have such disrespect for the flag,” he added.
The Chapel Hill incident occurred two weeks after nationwide protests erupted at Columbia University in New York City, where students built a camp and occupied a building demanding the university divest from companies related to the Gaza conflict with Israel.
Subsequently, similar protests have emerged on campuses across the United States.
Another student, Alex Jones, who participated in defending the flag, stated that his actions are not about the conflict between Israel and Hamas but about respecting those who have served in the U.S. military. He is also a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and was standing by Estrada during the incident.
“For me, protecting the flag is not about taking a stance in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian dialogue,” Jones wrote, “I understand the pain and hardships both sides of the conflict have endured.”