His explanation comes after a video clip passed around social media showing him standing and smiling in front of a Native American protester as some of his Catholic high school peers in the background jeer. Several of the students in the video are wearing “Make America Great Again” hats.
Reports about the video prompted the Diocese of Covington to condemn the students and apologize for their behavior.
Sandmann in the letter wrote that he was “singled out” and approached by the Native American man, who has been identified as Nathan Phillips, an Omaha elder.
Phillips gave a contradictory account to The Washington Post, saying “that guy in the hat stood in my way and we were at an impasse.”
“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,’ ” Phillips told The Washington Post. “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.”
Some public figures and lawmakers have weighed in on the viral video, with many claiming the students were racist and disrespectful.
Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) condemned the group of students for displaying “blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance.”
Another explanation:
Multiple outlets have written up comments from Sandmann’s mother after she blamed the incident on a group of “black Muslims.”
Sandmann in the letter wrote that the confrontation began when a group of African-American protesters started hassling the group of students wearing “MAGA” hats.
“When we arrived, we noticed four African American protestors who were also on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,” Sandmann wrote. “The protestors said hateful things. They called us ‘racists,’ ‘bigots,’ ‘white crackers,’ ‘faggots’ and ‘incest kids.’ ” He wrote that the students responded with a school chant of their own.
Then, Sandmann said, the Native American protesters approached the group of Covington high school students.
Of course, spewing bigoted hate to counter hate won’t solve the problem as MLK said (This is MLK day today!).
Oh, wait, these were black muslims saying this. OK, they’re racists. Nonetheless, they were calling the KY kids racist. Well, that’s like the pot calling the kettle black!
3
20
20
20
