Fraternity Brothers Rush to Save American Flag From Pro-Palestinian Protesters at UNC

Pelted with water bottles, rocks, and sticks by anti-Israel protesters, UNC fraternity brothers ’stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.’

A barricade protects the American flag at Polk Place at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, on May 1, 2024. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Two University of North Carolina students said they felt both sad and empowered when they rushed to “protect” the U.S. flag from pro-Palestinian protesters at the Chapel Hill campus quad on Wednesday.

A U.S. flag that hangs in the quad was replaced with a Palestinian flag by pro-Palestinian protesters. After school officials and law enforcement officers restored the U.S. flag, the protesters moved to once again tear it down and were, according to Guillermo Estrada, “preparing to destroy it.”