Teenagers in MAGA caps stare down native American protester during Washington DC rally
A diocese in Kentucky is looking into videos that show young men, possibly from its all-male high school, mocking Native Americans outside the Lincoln Memorial after a rally in Washington.
Key points:
- Video shows large group of teenagers wearing MAGA hats surrounding a native American protester, laughing and jeering
- Some of the group were wearing Covington clothing, with the Catholic diocese now investigating the video
- Native American playing the drum is Nathan Phillips, an Omaha elder and Vietnam veteran
Videos circulating online show a young man staring at and standing extremely close to an elderly native American man singing and playing a drum.
Other teenagers, some wearing clothing bearing the name of a school in Covington, Kentucky and many wearing "Make America Great Again" hats and sweatshirts, surrounded them, laughing and jeering.
Laura Keener of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington said it regrets the incident and is investigating but did not comment further.
The Indigenous Peoples March in Washington on Friday coincided with the March for Life, which drew thousands of anti-abortion protesters, including a group from Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills.
The man playing the drum was identified by the "Indian Country Today" website as Nathan Phillips, an Omaha elder and Vietnam veteran who holds an annual ceremony honouring native American veterans at Arlington National Cemetery.
"When I was there singing, I heard them saying 'Build that wall, build that wall,'" Mr Phillips said, as he wiped away tears in a video posted on Instagram.
"This is indigenous lands. We're not supposed to have walls here. We never did."
He said he wished the group would put their energy into "making this country really great".
Mr Phillips later told the Washington Post he was thinking about his dead wife and the struggles faced by indigenous communities while being taunted by the high school students.
He said he "felt like the spirit was talking through me".
Catholic diocese offers apology
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School issued a joint statement apologising to Mr Phillips and said they would take "appropriate action, up to and including expulsion" against the students involved.
"We extend our deepest apologies to Mr Phillips," the statement said.
"This behaviour is opposed to the church's teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person."
Ruth Buffalo, a North Dakota state representative and member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara nation, said she was saddened to see students showing disrespect to an elder who is also a US military veteran at what was supposed to be a celebration of all cultures.
"The behaviour shown in that video is just a snapshot of what indigenous people have faced and are continuing to face," Ms Buffalo said.
She said she hoped it would lead to some kind of meeting with the students to provide education on issues facing native Americans.
Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico, who had been at the rally earlier in the day, sharply criticised what she called a display of "blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance."
"This veteran put his life on the line for our country," she tweeted Saturday. "Heartbreaking."
Sisters of Mercy, a group of Roman Catholic women who take vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and service, decried the "bigoted" behaviour.
"Racism and intolerance in all forms go directly against Catholic social teaching," the group said on Twitter.
"The disturbing videos being shared of this incident showcase a bigoted disrespect of indigenous peoples and remind us how urgent our work for racial justice remains."
AP/ABC