UNC pro-Palestine walkout sees American flag torn down, buildings vandalized, report says
A pro-Palestine walkout at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Thursday saw campus buildings vandalized with spray paint and a Palestinian flag flown over campus, according to the school's newspaper.
About 200 students and staff participated in the "Walk out for the West Bank," to the Daily Tar Heel. Multiple campus buildings were vandalized, including the Navy ROTC Armory, according to images on social media.
The American flag flown outside the armory was reportedly taken down by the protesters and replaced with a Palestinian one. Police were called to the scene to restore Old Glory after it was carried off, the publication wrote.
Photos from inside the building shared via X show messages such as "Israel is a terror state" and "Death to US" scrawled on the walls. Other images captured by the campus publication show masked protesters parading by students as they studied inside the school's Carrol Hall.
Representatives for the school's media affairs division did not return a request for comment from The National Desk Friday. A representative told the campus publication they support the students' free speech, but condemned the damage done to buildings.
"Free expression and peaceful protest are, of course, in line with Carolina's best traditions," the statement reads. "We cannot tolerate, however, vandalism of public property or disruption of classes. We'll pursue every avenue possible to hold people accountable."
The demonstration follows the patriotic "Flagstock" concert held this month to a group of University of North Carolina fraternity brothers who defended the Star-Spangled Banner from protesters amid similar demonstrations last semester. A livestream of the concert shared via Rumble captured performances from a slew of artists, including Aaron Lewis, Vladimir John Ondrasik and Lee Greenwood, who also performed during the Republican National Convention in July.
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