As campus protests broke out across the nation earlier this year, a group of fraternity brothers at UNC-Chapel Hill captured the attention of the nation with their act of patriotism.
The group was honored at Fox Nation’s 6th annual Patriot Awards.
UNC students Guillermo Estrada and Alex Jones accepted the “Award for Courage” during the Patriot Awards, which honored the fraternity for holding up the American flag as pro-Palestinian protesters tried to replace the Stars and Stripes with a Palestinian flag.
“We didn’t hesitate when we saw our flag being torn back down because this flag represents the beacon of hope that called my parents to this great country 20 years ago,” Estrada said during the awards.
“The promise of liberty and prosperity that makes America a light to the world. That is what that flag represents.”
Back in the spring, anti-Israel protesters successfully replaced the American flag on Chapel Hill’s quad — which had been flying at half-mast after four Charlotte officers were killed in the line of duty — with a Palestinian flag before UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts responded with law enforcement officers to return the American flag to its place.
Activists, some of whom were not affiliated with the nation’s first public university, attempted to take it down a second time but were met with resistance from a smaller group of students.
UNC Chapel Hill students hold up the American flag during a campus protest on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Anti-Israel agitators replaced the American flag with the Palestinian one during the demonstration. (Parker Ali/The Daily Tar Heel)
“When the flag was raised once again, the Greek community began singing the National anthem. As the chancellor left, the quad erupted into chaos as protestors began removing the flag once again, preparing to destroy it,” Estrada said on an X post earlier this year. “My fraternity brother and others ran over to hold it up, in order for it not to touch the ground. People began throwing water bottles at us, rocks, sticks, calling us profane names. We stood for an hour defending the flag so many fight to protect.”
After enduring nearly an hour of screaming, slurring and flying objects, the fraternity brothers held up the fallen American flag until it could be restored. A GoFundMe was started to throw a party for the fraternities involved, which raised over half a million dollars by the time donations closed.
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“The outreach of support from not only the people that are here in this room, but across the nation has really been something that has been both inspiring and humbling,” Jones said at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts.
“My grandfather comes from eastern North Carolina. He’s a small farmtown boy. And being up here and, you know, this stage is something that he never would have dreamed in his entire life for his grandson. And to me, that’s really what not only this flag, but this entire nation represents. And for me, that’s why I acted on that day,” he added.
The protests at Chapel Hill were part of a wave of demonstrations at elite schools across the country speaking out against Israel and in support of Gaza amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. Activists set up encampments on campuses, occupied buildings, clashed with law enforcement and resisted arrest.
While the war in Gaza remains a divisive issue, Estrada sent a message to Americans who still “question the meaning and importance of the flag.”
“I invite you to sit down with families like mine from Goldsboro, North Carolina, family like Alex’s, and to listen to truly what the red, white and blue truly means to us,” he said.
The UNC students were honored alongside other notable recipients across the nine categories, including President-elect Donald Trump.
Other awards include the “T2T Stephen Siller Back the Blue Award,” “Young Patriot,” “Salute to Service,” “FOX Weather Ultimate Patriot,” “Service to Veterans,” “Culture Warrior,” “Bravery” and the honorary “Patriot of the Year.”
The annual Fox Nation Patriot Awards is a night to bridge political gaps, unite behind a love of America and celebrate America’s everyday heroes. For more patriotic content and to stay in-the-know for future awards, join Fox Nation today.
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