A Republican member of Congress is being condemned as a racist for publicly praising a group of white male apparent fraternity members caught on camera taunting a Black student during a face-off between pro-Palestinian protesters and counterprotesters at the University of Mississippi.
In a 50-second recording posted on social media, one white student appeared to hoot like a monkey and jump from foot to foot in a racist taunt as his buddies hooted and hollered. A security worker and two police officers stepped between the young Black woman and the crowd of young men during the confrontation.
The men could also be heard on the video chanting: "Lock her up."
The confrontation occurred along Fraternity Row near the university and directly in front of a fraternity house.
"Ole Miss taking care of business," Georgia U.S. Rep. Mike Collins hooted Friday in a caption to the video on X.
Ole Miss taking care of business. pic.twitter.com/JiL9hs2pHz
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) May 3, 2024
Collins credited the video to another X user who said it came from "Ole Miss" and called it "beautiful."
A spokesperson for Collins didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, the Hill reported on Saturday.
A university representative told The Independent later that "statements were made at the demonstration on our campus that were offensive and inappropriate. We cannot comment specifically about that video, but the university is looking into reports about specific actions. Any actions that violate university policy will be met with appropriate action."
The University of Mississippi's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also sharply criticized the counterprotesters' behavior.
"The behavior ... was not only abhorrent but also entirely unacceptable," the statement reads. "It is deeply disheartening to witness such blatant disregard for the principles of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression."
Collins' post was viewed more than 15 million times by early Saturday afternoon and drew about 11,000 comments, including one that called him a "racist embarrassment" and demanded that he resign from Congress.
Political consultant Fred Wellman, national chairman of the Forgotten Democrats group, also wrote: "Which part is your favorite, Mike? Is it the white kid acting like a monkey at the black woman or the white security guy acting like she's a threat? I'm trying to figure out which flavor of racism has you all excited the most."
Another commenter asked Collins: "Have you no shame?"
On Thursday, a demonstration at the University of Mississippi by about 60 pro-Palestinian protesters was overwhelmed by 200 counterprotesters, including some from the school's Fraternity Row, according to Mississippi Today.
Some counterprotesters reportedly shouted antisemitic remarks, including "Hit the showers!" in an apparent reference to the Nazi gas chambers used to kill Jews during the Holocaust.
Police broke up the protest, the first of its kind at the Oxford campus, after less than an hour when both sides began throwing water bottles and other objects at each other, Mississippi Today said.
