An incident occurred where pro-Palestinian students who were peacefully protesting at a university in the strongly conservative southern region of the United States were surrounded by hundreds of white students and insulted. According to the British daily Guardian on the 4th, a protest the Gaza War was held at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, on the 2nd, hosted by the student group ‘UMass for Palestine’.
The protesters numbered in the dozens and held placards with phrases such as “Jesus was a Palestinian,” “Stop genocide,” and “Sever relations with Israel.” However, local media such as the Oxford Eagle reported that hundreds of counterdemonstrators holding American flags and flags supporting former President Donald Trump appeared in front of them, causing both protesters to disperse in less than an hour. Counter-protestors, mostly white men, showed insulting behavior such as making monkey noises at a black woman who was among the pro-Palestinian protesters, and eventually began throwing water bottles and other objects.
The police, who had been deployed to the scene in preparation for an emergency, took action to disperse all protesters on both sides. The Guardian pointed out, “This scene brings back memories of resistance to the (black) civil rights struggle in the American South 60 years ago.”
In addition, it has been pointed out that external forces belonging to pro-Palestinian groups etc. intervened in the anti-war demonstrations at American universities, but in the case of the University of Mississippi, it was confirmed that students from other universities, such as nearby Mississippi State University and the University of Georgia, participated in the counterdemonstrations.
The University of Mississippi branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), an American black human rights activist group, issued a statement and harshly criticized the participants in the counter-protest, saying, “The actions witnessed today are not only disgusting but also unacceptable.” On the other hand, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican, posted a video on Another controversy was predicted. UMass for Palestine did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Governor Tate’s post. In a statement released after the rally, the group claimed, “(Mississippi University) is providing a venue for U.S. military officials involved in the genocide of Palestinians through aviation and defense-related conferences.”
The University of Mississippi suffered a storm in 1962 when white students protested the admission of the first black student, James Meredith, and when President Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012, hundreds of students gathered in front of the student council building, shouting political slogans, and using racist profanity. He was embroiled in controversy by shouting and protesting.