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.”

This is when a group of fraternity brothers rushed to keep the flag from falling to the ground, refusing to allow it to be “disrespected in order to advocate for another,” Mr. Estrada said.

Their actions caught national attention when they were photographed holding up and protecting the U.S. flag from angry protesters.

Student Alex Jones, a fellow Pi Kappa Phi fraternity brother, was present with Mr. Estrada during the incident. He said that his actions weren’t about the Israel-Hamas conflict, but about respecting those who’ve served in the U.S. military.

“For me, protecting the flag was not about taking a stance within the ongoing Israel-Palestine discourse. I recognize the pain and suffering experienced by both sides of that conflict,” Mr. Jones wrote on social media platform X.

Other young men from fraternities, including Alpha Epsilon Pi and Pi Kappa Psi, were also present, according to a fundraiser set up to celebrate their actions with a “rager.”

The protesters hurled both insults and objects at the fraternity brothers, including bottles, rocks, and sticks, while they stood for an hour holding the flag off the ground, according to Mr. Estrada.

‘Sad Yet Empowering’

Mr. Estrada described the day as “sad yet empowering.”

“When I walked to class, I saw the Palestinian flag raised on our quad flag pole, and was immediately upset at the act that these ‘protestors’ had made,” he wrote on X. “I cannot say I am fully educated on the Israel/Palestine conflict but it upset me that my country’s flag was disrespected in order to advocate for another.”

Mr. Estrada explained the sequence of events, saying the protesters became angry and violent after Lee Roberts, the university’s chancellor, with the help of law enforcement officers, restored Old Glory to the quad’s flagpole.

“They were met with profanity, middle fingers, thrown bottles, rocks, and water,” Mr. Estrada added. Once the officials got the flag raised, the fraternity brothers began to sing the national anthem, he added.

“As the chancellor left, the quad erupted into chaos as protestors began removing the flag once again, preparing to destroy it,” he said.

“My fraternity brother and others ran over to hold it up, in order for it not to touch the ground,” he continued. “People began throwing water bottles at us, rocks, sticks, calling us profane names. We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.”

Mr. Estrada expressed gratitude that his parents flourished after immigrating to the United States and acknowledged the sacrifices made by those who served in the military.

$300,000 Raised to Celebrate ‘Triumphant Brohemians’

Messages of support flooded in from across the country, with a GoFundMe campaign raising over $300,000 to celebrate the bravery of fraternity members.

Mr. Jones said he was “truly humbled” by the messages of support he’s received.

“My decision yesterday to protect the flag of the United States was not about any other nation. It was simply about the importance of our country and the values we believe in,” he wrote. “I believe in the right to free speech and peaceful protest.”

Mr. Jones said it was an honor to “give back” to the country that had given his family “countless opportunities.”

“I owe everything to the hard work of my parents and this great nation, and I am proud to be among those who stood up for it yesterday. I am proud to be an American,” he added.

Nearly 10,000 people have donated to a GoFundMe set up “to throw this frat the party they deserve, a party worth [sic] of the boat-shoed Broletariat who did their country proud,” reads a message on the website.

“We are overwhelmed by you glorious, Patriotic Americans who value good beer and great times,” reads an update on the fundraiser.

“Commie losers across the country have invaded college campuses to make dumb demands of weak University Administrators,” it added. “But amidst the chaos, the screaming, the anti-Semitism, the hatred of faith and flag, stood a platoon of American heroes.

“Armored in Vineyard Vines and Patagonia, fueled by Zyn and White Claws, these triumphant Brohemians protected Old Glory from the unwashed Marxist horde—laughing at their shrieks and wails and shielding the Stars & Stripes from Soviet missiles. These boys ... no, men, of the UNC Chapel Hill Pi Kappa Phi, gave the best to America and now they deserve the best.”

The fundraising effort was launched on Wednesday morning.

Many colleges across the United States have been witnessing pro-Palestinian protests on their campuses, some of which include encampments where demonstrations have turned violent.

The Epoch Times contacted UNC, Mr. Estrada, and Mr. Jones for comment.