Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Israeli Walla! website: We are running out of stockpiles, our forces are exhausted, and the lives of the captives are in danger. It is time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Several wounded in an Israeli bombardment of a tent in al-Mawasi, south of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Three wounded, three killed in an ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery shelling targets the outskirts of the town of Shebaa
Al-Qassam Brigades: The targeting took place at the intersection of 'Street 5' with the western line north of Khan Younis
Al-Qassam Brigades: A NIMR armored personnel carrier carrying an Israeli soldier was targeted with an Al-Yassin missile north of Khan Younis
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes

Racial insults, provocations taunt pro-Palestine protests; no arrests

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 5 May 2024 10:52
  • 2 Shares
5 Min Read

Counter-protesters at the University of Mississippi threw objects at pro-Palestinian protesters while shouting derogatory, racially charged insults, including monkey noises directed at a Black woman.

  • x
  • ‘Outside agitators’, racial insults taunt pro-Palestine protests: US
    Counter-protesters at the University of Mississippi (X)

Scores of the University of Mississippi students assembled this week to demonstrate against the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza and to demand transparency from the state's premier university regarding any engagements with "Israel".

Meanwhile, stood there facing the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, reminiscent of the resistance faced during the civil rights movement in the southern United States six decades ago.

Among the counter-protesters were individuals displaying American flags and banners supporting former President Trump. They sang the national anthem, overpowering the chants of the pro-Palestinian group. According to reports from the Oxford Eagle, one person carried a "Come and take it" flag while another waved a "Don't tread on me" banner. Meanwhile, the pro-Palestinian students held signs with messages such as "Jesus was a Palestinian," "Stop the genocide", and "Cut all ties with Israel."

All student protestors are brave, but the protestors I saw at the University of Mississippi today are on a whole other level given the climate here. Unbelievable courage from these young people. https://t.co/a5iefIerR2

— Dr. Emily Pitts Donahoe (@EmPittsDonahoe) May 2, 2024

Less than an hour after the demonstration commenced, law enforcement intervened and dispersed the crowd, particularly following incidents where pro-"Israel" counter-protesters hurled objects, including water bottles, at the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

Police monitored the departure of the pro-Palestinian students as the white, male group of counter-protesters chanted, "Nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye," as reported by Mississippi Today.

Counter-protesters hurl racist insults at Black woman 

It is worth noting that university administrators and politicians across the United States have employed the term "outside agitator" to undermine and discredit pro-Palestinian student-led protests and movements. This label, reminiscent of its frequent use during the civil rights movement and earlier historical periods, such as antebellum slavery and labor movements in the 19th and 20th centuries, suggests that protesters are not driven by their own convictions but by external influences.

This Zionist outside agitator was filmed carrying out at least 5 acts of assault and battery. He even conducted a local LA news interview in the midst of his rampage. And unlike peaceful student protesters, he’s not in police custody and everyone is still seeking his identity. https://t.co/ceBHYDbHrb

— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) May 5, 2024

A gang of wild, uncouth, vile, white supremacist, thugs at the University of Mississippi singled out a Black female student protester, spewed racial epithets and other pejoratives, chanted “Lizzo“ and made monkey noises. This is the white male in America. pic.twitter.com/ISN9OMSJiU

— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) May 4, 2024

While no arrests were made, the behavior of the counter-protesters has sparked condemnation on social media. They were heard shouting derogatory phrases, such as "F*** Joe Biden," "Who's your daddy?," "USA," and "Hit the showers," and directing racially charged insults, including monkey noises, at a Black woman.

Related News

EU rallies allies as Trump tariff threats push trade tensions higher

Supreme Court clears fast-track deportations to random third countries

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Georgia, praises a video showing a University of Mississippi frat boy dancing like a monkey and making monkey noises near a Black woman student who was protesting for Palestine while other frat boys chant "lock her up." https://t.co/Gfg4ZtqDqC

— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) May 3, 2024

It is worth noting that United States Congressman Mike Collins openly praised the verbal assault of the Black woman by the University of Mississippi counter-protesters in a post on X.
 
On its part, the University of Mississippi's NAACP chapter issued a statement on Instagram condemning the actions of the counter-protesters.

“The behavior witnessed today was not only abhorrent but also entirely unacceptable,” the statement read. “It is deeply disheartening to witness such blatant disregard for the principles of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.”

History repeating itself! 'I would like to be on the right side'

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, who recently designated April as Confederate Heritage Month and April 29 as Confederate Memorial Day, praised the counter-protesters in a tweet, The Guardian reported. Some observers noted similarities between Reeves' tweet and the actions of former Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett, known for his support of segregation.

In the tweet, Reeves shared a video of the counter-protesters singing the American national anthem, stating that it warmed his heart and expressing his love for Mississippi.

The ‘protests’ at Ole Miss today. Watch with sound.

Warms my heart.

I love Mississippi!

pic.twitter.com/79QEJra2nM

— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) May 2, 2024

In September 1962, Barnett addressed a crowd of over 40,000 people at a University of Mississippi football game, where Confederate flags were prominent. He expressed his love for Mississippi, its people, customs, and heritage. The following day, a campus insurrection occurred as James Meredith enrolled, becoming the University's first documented Black student.

Before the protest, Reeves also echoed a statement made by Joe Biden earlier that day in a separate tweet. “Campus police, city, county, and state assets are being deployed and coordinated,” Reeves tweeted. “We will offer a unified response with one mission: peaceful protests are allowed and protected – no matter how outrageous those protesters’ views may seem to some of us. However unlawful behavior will not be tolerated. It will be dealt with accordingly. Law and order will be maintained!”

UMiss for Palestine, the student group behind the protest, posted a statement on Instagram after the demonstration. They accused the University of Mississippi of hosting US military officials involved in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians through an aerospace and defense conference. 

“Our vocal protest outside the library was a peaceful demonstration of our dismay with the behaviour of the university,” the statement continues.

“We were confronted by counter-protesters who engaged in blind reactionarism that had little to do with the genocide we were protesting as well as our demands. We condemn the hateful actions and rhetoric of the counter protesters, who threw food and made violent threats toward our protesters. We expected our first amendment rights to be better protected and were deeply ashamed that they were not.”

The Daily Mississippian, the University of Mississippi student newspaper, interviewed students who expressed their support for UMiss for Palestine's initiatives. Among them, junior Xavier Black stated, “There’s a lot of dissension towards this kind of movement.”

“But as we’ve seen throughout history, time and time again, the student movement is never wrong,” he told the paper. “Time and time again, anytime there’s a student protest, and you’re against it, you’re on the wrong side of history. So I would like to be on the right side.”

Read more: Police crackdown continues against pro-Palestine students in the US

  • United States
  • pro-Palestine protest
  • Palestine
  • pro-Palestinian protesters
  • University of Mississippi
  • Gaza genocide
  • Israeli occupation
  • Racism in America
  • Outside agitators
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS