A neutral campus organizer, center, attempts to guide a pro-Palestinian demonstrator away from a group of counterprotesters at the University of Mississippi in Oxford on Thursday. Antonella Rescigno / The Daily Mississippian via AP. Img source: nbcnews.com
May 6, 2024 Story by: Publisher
The University of Mississippi initiated a conduct investigation on Saturday following the circulation of a viral video that depicted a group of students harassing a pro-Palestine protester on campus last week.
Chancellor Glenn Boyce described the counterprotesters’ behavior on Thursday as having “hostility and racist overtones.” The video shows a group of white men taunting a lone Black woman participating in the protest, with some men dancing, hooting, and one man mimicking a monkey.
“From yesterday’s demonstration, university leaders are aware that some statements made were offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable, including actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones,” Boyce wrote.
“To be clear, people who say horrible things to others because of who they are will not find shelter or comfort on this campus,” he added.
The pro-Palestine protesters at Ole Miss were significantly outnumbered by counterprotesters, mirroring demonstrations spreading across hundreds of colleges nationwide in recent weeks.
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) shared the harassment video last week, stating it showed “Ole Miss taking care of business.”
The NAACP filed a complaint with congressional leaders on Saturday, demanding an Ethics Committee investigation into Collins’ conduct.
“These actions conducted by a member of the House of Representatives, regardless of intent, legitimize and propagate racism and undermine the principles of equality and justice that our government is sworn to uphold,” the letter reads.
“Black America refuses to accept blatant racism from any representative sworn to uphold our constitution,” NAACP spokesperson Alicia Mercedes stated to The Hill. “Representative Collins’ decision to publicly condone, and perhaps even celebrate these racist taunts is not only shameful, but also reprehensible.” Source: NBC News
This incident adds to the university’s long history of racial conflict. Deadly riots erupted when Ole Miss first enrolled a Black student in 1962, and the institution has long been linked with Confederate imagery. The school’s nickname is also derived from a racist term associated with slavery.
