A group of teenage boys caught on video intimidating a Native American protester drew widespread criticism Saturday after going viral.
Videos posted of the event show a large group of boys, many wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and clothing from Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Ky., standing close to and chanting over a man with a drum on Friday.
The man, identified as Omaha elder and veteran Nathan Phillips attending the Indigenous Peoples March by Indian Country Today, is seen drumming and singing while surrounded by the boisterous crowd of boys in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Rep. Deb Haaland, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, condemned the incident on Saturday.
“The students’ display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration,” she tweeted.
This Veteran put his life on the line for our country. The students’ display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration. Heartbreaking. https://t.co/NuPnYu9FP4
— Congresswoman Deb Haaland (@RepDebHaaland) January 19, 2019
Social media accounts for the private, all-boys Catholic school were set to private on Saturday. Calls to the numbers listed on the Catholic school’s website and the Diocese of Covington’s website, the latter of which appeared to be down, yielded busy signals. The school’s website indicated students were set to attend Friday’s anti-abortion March for Life in Washington, D.C.
“We are just now learning about this incident and regret it took place. We are looking into it,” a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Covington said in a statement released midday Saturday.
The religious school’s website notes its mission is “to embrace the gospel message of Jesus Christ in order to educate young men spiritually, academically, physically, and socially. We produce outstanding results in academics, athletics and community service while supporting the spiritual formation of almost 600 young men from across the Tristate.”
In a video posted on YouTube, the man identifies himself as “Nathan” and said he was at the march with Native Youth Alliance.
“I heard them saying, ‘Build that wall, build that wall,'” he said, wiping away tears.
“I wish I could see the energy of that young man, put that energy into making this country really, really great. Helping those hungry, you know, taking care of those who have no place to stay,” he said.
Editor’s note: This story has been corrected to say Nathan Phillips was a veteran. He was not a Vietnam War veteran as previously reported.
