‘Black Muslims’ Made My Son Do It, Says Mother of Pro-Trump Boy Who Mocked Native American Veteran – By Jason Lemon (Newsweek) / Jan 20 2019
The mother of one of the Trump-supporting, MAGA hat-wearing boys filmed mocking Native American veteran Nathan Phillips has accused “black Muslims” of creating the situation while also suggesting the former soldier who fought in Vietnam had provoked the group of students.
“Shame on you! Were you there? Did you hear the names the people where (sic) calling these boys? It was shameful. Did you witness the black Muslims yelling profanities and video taping trying to get something to futher (sic) your narrative of hatred??,” the mother wrote in an email to news site Heavy.
“Did you know that this ‘man’ came up to this one boy and drummed in his face? Shame on you. Only reporting what you want. More fake news,” she added, echoing President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on media coverage that he does not feel is positive.
https://twitter.com/McKayMSmith/status/1086768589691076609
The group of students from the all-male Covington Catholic High School was in Washington on Friday to participate in an anti-abortion March for Life rally when they came across a march for indigenous peoples’ right. The teenagers were filmed and went viral as they jeered at Phillips while he sang a native chant and beat a drum. In response, the boys chanted “build the wall, build the wall,” a phrase that has become a catch-all for Trump supporters’ dislike of darker-skinned or culturally different Americans.
In a separate video posted after the incident, the veteran pointed out the disturbing irony of the boys actions. “This is indigenous lands, we’re not supposed to have walls here,” he said, showing visible emotion after the confrontation. “We never did.”
Many politicians and pundits were quick to condemn the actions of the boys. Democratic Representative Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo tribe, who became one of the first two Native American woman elected to Congress in November, slammed the students for their “blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance” on Twitter.
“The behavior shown in that video is just a snapshot of what indigenous people have faced and are continuing to face,” Representative Ruth Buffalo, a North Dakota state lawmaker and member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, said in response to the videos that circulated widely on social media, according to The Independent.
Responding swiftly to the backlash, the Catholic high school and the Diocese of Covington issued an apology and condemnation of the the students’ behavior.
“We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips. This behavior is opposed to the church’s teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person,” they said. “The matter is being investigated and we will take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion.”
When told by Heavy that her angry email would be reported as part of the story, the mother lashed out with another angry response.
“I want nothing to do with helping perpetuating (sic) your hate. I do not want to be a part of your story. You are ruining a boys life for fake news. Hate spreads like wildfire. I pray for you,” she wrote.
