‘Triumphant bros.’ UNC fraternity brothers who held up US flag speak at RNC
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After receiving national attention for holding up an American flag during a campus protest, UNC-Chapel Hill fraternity brothers spoke at the Republican National Convention Wednesday.
The group was among two dozen individuals or groups described as “everyday Americans” who spoke at the four-day event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Trump campaign described the speakers in an announcement as people “who have faced immense hardship and are worse off under the Biden-Harris administration.”
As the announcement from the Trump campaign described the incident, “a group of students and fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill patriotically protected an American flag that had been disturbed by demonstrators during an anti-Israel protest on their campus.”
“The students gained national attention as videos of the protest showed them standing strong to protect the American flag, even as protesters antagonized them,” the announcement stated.
On Wednesday, a group of seven fraternity members entered Fiserv Forum with almost all of them carrying the American flag.
A June 10 update on the viral GoFundMe fundraiser for the brothers identified Pi Kappa Phi, AEPi, Delta Upsilon, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Phi Gamma Delta and Zeta Beta Tau as the fraternities that had members participate in holding up the flag.
Campus chapter leaders for Pi Kappa Phi announced in an email to members and alumni Saturday that their fraternity would not be speaking at the convention.
Fraternity fundraiser goes viral
The members went viral this spring for keeping the American flag that hangs on UNC’s Polk Place from touching the ground after pro-Palestinian protesters attempted to remove it on April 30, a day that saw 36 people charged in connection to a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” that had been set up on the quad for several days.
The protesters’ attempted removal of the flag marked the second time that day they had done so. An earlier attempt was successful, and interim Chancellor Lee Roberts led police in restoring it to the flagpole. Once Roberts left the quad, the pro-Palestinian protesters quickly attempted to remove it again, but a group of counter-protesters — largely made up of the fraternity brothers — held it up before taking it to police.
The day after the hours-long flag stand-off, the GoFundMe online fundraiser appeared in honor of the fraternity members, asking for money to “throw ‘em a rager.”
“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,” the original post on the GoFundMe read.
With an original goal of $15,000, the fundraiser eventually garnered more than $500,000. The money is being used to plan and throw “Flagstock 2024,” an invite-only event to be held on Sept. 2 with a performance by John Rich of the country duo Big & Rich.
Leftover funds not used for the party will be donated to charities, possibly including Back the Blue NC, Wounded Warrior Project, Children of Fallen Patriots, and Zeta Beta Tau Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism, according to the GoFundMe.
Reached by email Friday and asked about the fraternity brothers’ upcoming speaking gig at the RNC, John Noonan, who originally organized the GoFundMe, said: “Those triumphant bros earned the right to speak where they want.”
This story was originally published July 12, 2024 at 5:20 PM with the headline "‘Triumphant bros.’ UNC fraternity brothers who held up US flag speak at RNC."
