Ole Miss Launches Investigation Into Racist Taunts At Anti-War Protest
The University of Mississippi has launched an investigation aftera student was accused of mocking a Black protestor by making monkey noises during an anti-war demonstration.
Ole Miss said it was looking into “actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones” when demonstrators gathered on campus Thursday to protest U.S. support of Israel during the country’s ongoing war against Hamas.
Footage of racist abuse being directed at a pro-Palestine protester quickly spread online, with a GOP congressman even going as far as to endorse their actions. “Ole Miss taking care of business,” Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) wrote Friday on the social platform X. He has since acknowledged there was “potentially inappropriate behavior.”
The incident came amid a growing wave of demonstrations on university campuses around the country.
Videos of the confrontation showed a small group of students chanting “Free, free Palestine,” and carrying signs with slogans including “Stop the Genocide” and “U.S. bombs take Palestine lives.” A larger group of counter-protesters were filmed surrounding and yelling at the demonstrators. At one point, a white student is seen making monkey noises directed at a Black woman as others taunt and cheer.
On Friday, university Chancellor Glenn Boyce said that “university leaders are aware that some statements made were offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable,” and that the institution has launched an investigation into the conduct of one student.
“We are working to determine whether more cases are warranted,” he added. “To be clear, people who say horrible things to people because of who they are will not find shelter or comfort on this campus,” he said.
A fraternity member was kicked out of the organization after the encounter drew widespread condemnation online.
“Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters is aware of the video regarding the student protest at the University of Mississippi,” the organization wrote in a statement on Sunday. “The racist actions in the video were those of an individual and are antithetical to the values of Phi Delta Theta and the Mississippi Alpha chapter.”
On Monday, Collins changed tack after facing a backlash, issuing a statement saying he does not condone racism or discrimination. He added that if a student was found to have “treated another human being improperly because of their race, they should be punished appropriately, and will hopefully seek forgiveness.”
“Frankly, I did not believe that to be the focal point of the video shared at the time, but I recognize that there certainly seems to be some potentially inappropriate behavior that none of us should seek to glorify,” he said.
