One of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill fraternity brothers who protected the American flag from pro-Palestinian protestors after it was returned to its rightful place on the campus flagpole has spoken out about why he decided to act.
Daniel Stompel, a political science student and member of Pi Kappa Phi, said there was a communal sense of duty among the group, with all of them deciding they would defend the flag even if it meant being injured, or worse.
Courtesy: Parker Ali, student at UNC Chapel Hill and photographer for the Daily Tar Heel
"I love that side of America," he told FOX News. "We all just kind of connected our brains and stood there protecting one thing ... If stuff was flying in, we'd say 'heads up,' we would cover each other, we would look out for other people."
"I was like, 'I'd die for this flag,' and everybody was like, 'yeah, if they get any closer we're gonna start throwing hands," Stompel added. "They're gonna have to tear me off this flag by my dead body."
He explained that while the experience was "insane," he nonetheless left feeling "hopeful."
"It's good to see people still put their bodies on the line, their mind and sole on the line, to protect this flag," Stompel said, pointing to the American flag on the wall behind him. "There's still patriots in this country that actually wanna fight and would sacrifice themselves for this flag, this country."
He suggested that the footage of him and his buddies had received so much attention because under Joe Biden, defending America had become so uncommon to the point where people were not used to seeing even the simplest act of patriotism, especially on a university campus.
"Don't bend a knee to these people," he concluded, referring to the far-left. "They want you gone; they want to take over. They want to destroy what this country stands for ... Be a man. Take a stand."
According to his LinkedIn profile, Stompel was born in Russia but moved to the United States in 2009. He attended high school in Israel, and is currently pursuing dual majors in Peace, War, and Defense studies and Political Science at UNC.
After the story went viral, a GoFundMe was set up to throw a "rager" for Stompel and his fellow fraternity brothers. It has since raised nearly $400,000.
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