Title : U.S. diocese, school apologize after students mock Indigenous demonstrator
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U.S. diocese, school apologize after students mock Indigenous demonstrator
A diocese in Kentucky has apologized after videos emerged showing students from an all-male Catholic high school mocking Indigenous Americans outside the Lincoln Memorial after a rally in Washington.
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, Ky.
Videos circulating online show a youth standing extremely close to an elderly Native American as he chanted and played a drum.
An online news platform called Indian Country Today identified the elderly man as Nathan Phillips, an Omaha elder and Vietnam veteran who holds an annual ceremony honouring Indigenous American veterans at the Arlington National Cemetery.
Other students, some wearing Covington clothing and many wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats and sweatshirts, surrounded them, laughing and jeering.
In a joint statement to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School apologized to Phillips. Officials said they are investigating and will take "appropriate action, up to and including expulsion."
"We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips," the statement read. "This behaviour is opposed to the Church's teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person."
'Blatant hate'
"When I was there singing, I heard them saying 'Build that wall, build that wall,"' 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."
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 who is also a U.S. 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," 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.
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. <a href="https://t.co/NuPnYu9FP4">https://t.co/NuPnYu9FP4</a>
—@RepDebHaaland
U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico sharply criticized what she called a display of "blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance."
Haaland, who is also Catholic, told The Associated Press she was particularly saddened to see the boys mocking an elder, who is revered in Indigenous American culture. She placed some of the blame on U.S. President Donald Trump, who has used names like Pocahontas as an insult.
"It is sad that we have a president who uses Native American women's names as racial slurs and that's an example that these kids are clearly following considering the fact that they had their 'Make America Great Again' hats on," Haaland said. "He's really brought out the worst in people."
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