A now-viral video is shining light on repulsive actions by the next generation of MAGA supporters. Students from Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky were apparently in Washington D. C. to take part in the anti-choice “March for Life.” That’s where they came across Omaha Nation elder and American military veteran Nathan Philips. And that’s when these very Christian high school students decided that the best thing they could learn in the nation’s capital was how to express bigotry and hate.
Philips was present to take part in the Washington version of the Indigenous Peoples March, which was organized by the Indigenous Peoples Movement. Other events for January 18th were taking place around the world, from Asia to South America and Oceania to Africa. To accommodate two groups protesting in Washington on the same day, the Indigenous Peoples March moved the location of their rally at the last moment.
However, that didn’t stop Philips from coming to the attention of the Covington students. As the Indigenous Peoples March was drawing to an end, the group of 50-70 uniformly white students, wearing Trump-brand MAGA hats and wielding cellphone cameras, came into the area, and surrounded Philips, effectively blocking his march progress as they mocked his chant and drumming, and taunted him over an extended period. Witnesses describe them as standing inches away from Philips and others, screaming insults, bumping into people, singing over chants, and laughing in people’s faces.
If there were any adults supervising the students, they evidently approved of what they saw, as none attempted to intervene.
Throughout the entire incident, Philips remained admirably calm, stood in his place, and continued his celebration without reaction to the taunts and insults. Congresswoman Deb Haaland, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, spoke at the march before the incident with the sadly disrespectful students and addressed the harassment on Twitter.
Since this story began trending, Covington Catholic High School has taken their Twitter page private. It’s a shame they didn’t react that quickly to what their students were doing in Washington.
To add an extra layer of ignorance to this whole disgusting affair, what were the students chanting? “Build that wall.”
