The University of Mississippi student who was seen on video making monkey noises and jumping up and down to mock a Black pro-Palestine protester has been expelled from his fraternity after his actions went viral on social media.
The fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, announced in a statement on Sunday that the man in question had been swiftly removed from the organization. The student, James JP Staples, was identified on Instagram by the NAACP.
Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters is aware of the video regarding the student protest at the University of Mississippi, the statement reads.
The racist actions in the video were those of an individual and are antithetical to the values of Phi Delta Theta and the Mississippi Alpha chapter. The responsible individual was removed from membership on Friday, May 3.
It was unclear whether the unidentified man would be allowed to rejoin the organization at Ole Miss or any other chapter in the future. A spokesman for Phi Delta Thetas national headquarters did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts requests for comment.
The fraternitys announcement came just days after the university launched a student conduct investigation into at least one student as a result of the racist counterprotest encounter.
In a letter addressed to the campus community on Friday, Chancellor Glenn Boyce said the university was aware of behavior that was offensive, hurtful and unacceptable, including actions that conveyed hostility and racist overtones, although he did not clarify that it was pro-Israel counterprotesters who lodged those racist attacks.
While student privacy laws prohibit us from commenting on any specific student, we have opened one student conduct investigation. We are working to determine whether more cases are warranted, Boyce wrote.
On Thursday, counter protesters overwhelmed a small demonstration in support of Palestine, which had been peacefully assembled on the grassy area of campus. Counter protesters surrounded the fenced-off protest area and chanted things like Hit the showers! and Your nose is huge, the nonprofit news outlet Mississippi Today reported.
The jeers were especially vicious toward a Black female protester who separated from the rest of the protest encampment. Video showing a group of mostly white male counter protesters mocking her quickly went viral after they hurled taunts like Lizzo! and Lock her up! as she was guided away by police.
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