Several University of North Carolina Chapel Hill fraternity brothers who defied pro-Gaza protesters by banding together to prevent the American flag from touching the ground received a loud and warm welcome from RNC attendees on Wednesday.
The fraternity brothers became an overnight viral sensation for their patriotic heroism in defending Old Glory from protesters who had torn it down from a campus flagpole in late April of this year.
When the group took the stage at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, one might have believed a battalion of war heroes had just returned from overseas duty, but that reception was not for the military but for the fraternity brothers’ militant defense of the flag.
The brothers marched in a procession carrying American flags to the convention grounds, again proudly waving the American flag.
“When a mob tried to tear down the American flag on our campus, we knew we couldn’t let that happen,” one student said to roars of approval.
UNC frat boys attend day three of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum
“We watched him, we held him and we didn’t let him fall,” he added before an even more enthusiastic outburst of approval from those in attendance.
“It was about respect,” he continued. “Not just for the fabric, but for everything the flag represents.”
“Too many people have sacrificed everything for it. The least we can do is keep it in the air.”
“And tonight we are proud to once again honor our flag.”
Then, as some spectators cried, the crowd once again erupted in praise for the fraternity brothers.
The brothers then lined up again and left the track to cheers and waves.
UNC Chapel Hill fraternity students surround the American flag to protect it from a pro-Gaza protest
The audience stood and applauded as the brothers carried American flags onto the floor of the Republican National Convention.
The fraternity’s color guards saluted the adoring crowd with fist pumps and high fives as they filed away.
In late April, after pro-Palestinian protesters removed the Stars and Stripes and replaced it with the Palestinian flag, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brothers at UNC Chapel Hill put the American flag back up and began flying it high.
Later, after a renewed effort by protesters to tear down the flag again, the fraternity brothers stood guard, holding the flag aloft in their hands as they were mocked for their patriotism.
However, the school eventually decided to remove the flag to protect it from further damage.
Images of students defending the Stars and Stripes flag stood in stark contrast to images from college campuses this spring that sometimes involved flag burning and desecration.
The brothers received slaps on the hand and fist bumps upon entering the convention hall.
The brothers all dressed in blue suits, white shirts, red ties and khaki pants.
Their stunt earned them a huge crowdfunding haul, with the brothers raising more than half a million dollars to throw a party, or a “fiesta,” as the students would say.
Ultimately, the pro-Gaza camp that sprang up on campus lasted four days before being dismantled by authorities.
In the end, 36 activists were detained and six were arrested.
