A Native American veteran who was surrounded and taunted by Kentucky students wearing Make America Great Again hats at a rally in Washington D.C. said he wanted to escape as ‘things were getting ugly.’
Nathan Phillips, 64, was singing the American Indian Movement song of unity near Friday’s March for Life when he was surrounded by the teens who he claimed were chanting ‘build that wall, build that wall’.
Footage of the encounter subsequently went viral, with many condemning the boys’ actions.
Philips said he felt threatened by the teens and that they suddenly swarmed around him as he and other activists were wrapping up the march and preparing to leave the Lincoln Memorial.
Kentucky students wearing MAGA hats appeared to mock a Native American man and wouldn’t let him move forward
Nathan Philips (pictured) said he felt intimated and shaken after encountering the youths who appeared angry and wouldn’t let him pass through
Philips said he saw only angry faces around him and knew that he was in a dangerous situation
He told told The Washington Post: ‘It was getting ugly, and I was thinking: “I’ve got to find myself an exit out of this situation and finish my song at the Lincoln Memorial.”
‘I started going that way, and that guy in the hat stood in my way and we were at an impasse. He just blocked my way and wouldn’t allow me to retreat.’
Phillips said he noticed tensions beginning to escalate when the teens and other apparent participants from the nearby March for Life rally began taunting the dispersing indigenous crowd.
A few people in the March for Life crowd began to chant ‘Build that wall, build that wall,’ he said.
Philips said he kept singing and thinking about his wife, Shoshana, who died of bone marrow cancer nearly four years ago, and the various threats that face indigenous communities.
He said he was left shaken by the incident on Friday. He added: ‘I’m still trying to process what happened. I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed.’
He said he hopes the teens will find a lesson in all of the negative attention generated by the videos.
‘That energy could be turned into feeding the people, cleaning up our communities and figuring out what else we can do.
The Indigenous Peoples March in Washington on Friday coincided with the March for Life, which drew thousands of anti-abortion protesters
A number of the students in the footage were wearing Make America Great Again hats
Some of the students were also wearing clothing with Covington logos
Nathan Phillips, the man in the video, said he heard people chanting ‘build that wall’
Phillips, an Omaha tribe elder who fought in the Vietnam War and now lives in Michigan, has long been active in the indigenous rights movement.
‘My job has always been taking care of the fire, to keep the prayers going,’ Phillips said.
Philips said he saw only angry faces around him and knew that he was in a dangerous situation.
He told CNN: ‘All of a sudden all of that anger and wanting to have the freedom to rip me apart. That was scary.
‘This young fella put himself in front of me and wouldn’t move. If I took another step I would be putting myself into his space.’
The boys in the video were identified as high school students visiting from Kentucky.
A student from the school who was with the group claimed it was Philips who approached the students for a ‘publicity stunt’. He said Philips had a history of ‘claiming racial harassment.’
Philips said he felt threatened by the teens and that they suddenly swarmed around him as he and other activists were wrapping up the march and preparing to leave
In a letter posted on Twitter by a priest named Fr. Jim Sichko, the unnamed student said that his friend who came face-to-face with Philips as Philips stood singing and beating his drum, now faces expulsion for ‘a crime he didn’t commit.’
He claimed his school attends the March for Life rally in D.C. every year and they had been asked to meet at the Lincoln Memorial at 5.30pm.
Covington Catholic High and the Diocese of Covington released a statement Saturday condemning the student’s action.
It said: ‘We condemn the actions of the Covington Catholic High School students towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general, Jan. 18, after the March for Life, in Washington, D.C.,].
‘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.
‘The matter is being investigated and we will take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion.’
In a statement, the Indigenous Peoples Movement, which organized Friday’s march, called the incident ’emblematic of our discourse in Trump’s America.’
‘It clearly demonstrates the validity of our concerns about the marginalization and disrespect of Indigenous peoples, and it shows that traditional knowledge is being ignored by those who should listen most closely,’ Darren Thompson, an organizer for the group, said.
Congresswoman Deb Haaland tweeted that the footage was ‘heartbreaking’
After the incident Congresswoman Deb Haaland tweeted: ‘This Veteran put his life on the line for our country.
‘The students’ display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration. Heartbreaking.’
State Rep. Ruth Buffalo, a North Dakota state lawmaker and member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, said she was saddened to see students showing disrespect to an elder at what was supposed to be a celebration of all cultures.
‘The behavior shown in that video is just a snapshot of what indigenous people have faced and are continuing to face,’ 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.