UNC student who defended American flag from campus mob ‘it’s an honor to contribute to the nation’

A University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill student felt “honored to contribute to the nation” as he defended an American flag on the quad that protesters were trying to tear down Tuesday.

“Yesterday, my fraternity brother [Guillermo Estrada] and I were photographed holding the American flag on the UNC-Chapel Hill quad during the protests. “These images have since spread and received media coverage across the country,” Chapel Hill student Alex Jones said in a Wednesday post on X. “Myself, my fraternity brother and the others who protected the flag with us we have received many messages of support. . For this, I am truly honored.”

On Tuesday morning, anti-Israel agitators initially replaced the American flag, which had been flying at half-mast after four Charlotte officers killed in the line of duty on Monday, carrying a Palestinian flag before UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts intervened with law enforcement officials to return the American flag.

When activists, some of whom were not affiliated with Chapel Hill, attempted to remove the flag a second time, a group of students, including fraternity brothers, intervened to prevent Old Glory from falling to the ground. A photo of the moment was spread on social networks.

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“For me, protecting the flag was not about taking a stance within the current discourse between Israel and Palestine,” Jones explained. “I recognize the pain and suffering experienced by both sides of that conflict. But my decision yesterday to protect the American flag was not about any other nation. It was simply about the importance of our country and the values ​​in which what we believe.”

He added that he believes “in the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest” and feels “honored to give back to the nation what has given me and my family countless opportunities.”

“…it is an honor to contribute to the nation that has given me and my family countless opportunities.”

—Alex Jones, UNC student

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UNC Chapel Hill students hold the American flag during a protest on campus on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Anti-Israel agitators replaced the American flag with the Palestinian one during the demonstration. (Parker Ali/The Tar Heel Diary)

“I owe everything to the hard work of my parents and this great nation, and I am proud to be among those who stood up for it yesterday. I am proud to be an American,” Jones wrote.

Since the photo of the students holding the flag garnered tens of thousands of likes this week (and positive responses from politicians and celebrities alike), a GoFundMe created by a third party for the Chapel Hill chapter of Pi Kappa Sigma has raised more than $400,000 “to throw this fraternity the party they deserve.”

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The fraternity told Fox News Digital that they are still trying to determine if they have access to the funds, as they did not create the GoFundMe themselves. Once they do, the fraternity will determine the best way to use the funds.

The American flag is surrounded by a temporary barrier at the University of North Carolina’s Polk Place on May 1, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. ((Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images))

A barricade has since been erected around the flagpole.

Chancellor Roberts said WRAL in a livestream of Tuesday’s protests, “That flag will stay there as long as I’m chancellor,” as The Carolina Journal reported. reported for the first time.

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“Tell students that we will keep them safe from a small minority of students who want to disrupt their experience. This university is for everyone,” he said.

Anti-Israel protesters replaced the American flag with the Palestinian flag during a demonstration on the University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill campus on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Heather Diehl/The Tar Heel Diary)

The university confirmed Tuesday that approximately 30 protesters were detained after they allegedly refused to leave a quad camp despite receiving a statement from university administrators telling them to clear the site by 6 a.m. or face expulsion. .

At 6 a.m., UNC police “calmly approached the group and detained approximately 30 people who refused to leave. During that time, protesters attempted to block UNC police vehicles by standing in front of them and throwing objects to officers. Polk Place was cleared. In approximately 45 minutes, UNC facilities cleared the area of ​​significant debris,” the university said in a statement.

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“After the area was cleared, the remaining protesters escalated their tactics, attempting to force their way into the South Building by pushing past officers and refusing to comply with requests from UNC Facilities and UNC Police,” the university continued.

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“Over the past few months, we have spoken regularly and respectfully with protesters on our campus, consistently supporting their right to assemble and express their views. We have also clearly communicated the University’s long-standing policies on the use of shared public spaces “We have made it clear that students and community members can gather and make their voices heard, but University policies must be followed,” Roberts and Chancellor Chris Clemens said in their statement.

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Chapel Hill’s school alert system, Alert Carolina, issued a “critical” notice Tuesday notifying students that non-mandatory classes and activities were canceled for the afternoon.

Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.