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COVINGTON, Ky. โ A Kentucky boysโ school shut down its campus on Tuesday as a precaution and a small protest was held outside their diocese as fallout continued over an encounter involving white teenagers, Native American marchers and a black religious sect outside the Lincoln Memorial last week.
President Donald Trump tweeted early Tuesday that the students at Covington Catholic High School โhave become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can beโ but says he hopes the teens will use the attention for good, and โmaybe even to bring people together.โ
Nick Sandmann and the students of Covington have become symbols of Fake News and how evil it can be. They have captivated the attention of the world, and I know they will use it for the good โ maybe even to bring people together. It started off unpleasant, but can end in a dream!
โ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2019
The recorded images that initially generated outrage on social media were tightly focused on the students wearing โMake America Great Againโ hats who seemed to laugh derisively as they surrounded an elderly Native American beating a drum.
Longer videos from wider perspectives emerged later over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend. They revealed that the drummer โ Omaha Nation elder Nathan Phillips โ had intervened between the boys and the religious sect, at a moment when the teens seemed to be getting rowdier and the black street preacher with a megaphone who had been making racist statements against both groups was escalating his rhetoric.
Soon, all sides were pointing fingers, speaking their own truths about feeling victimized and misunderstood.
โWe just donโt know what the volatility of the situation is with these people that react and they donโt know the full story. And itโs very scary,โ Jill Hamlin of Cincinnati, who was there to chaperone as the boys attended an anti-abortion rally, told FOX News Tuesday morning.
Diocese Issued Statement Criticizing the Boysโ Behavior
The American Indian Movement Chapter of Indiana and Kentucky held a small protest outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington, with activists outnumbered by the media. Meanwhile, the schoolโs principal, Robert Rowe, said that โafter meeting with local authorities,โ they decided to close the campus โto ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff.โ
โLetโs create space for the teaching of tolerance to happen,โ his statement said, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. โI have faith that human beings can use a moment like this to find a way to gain understanding from one another.โ
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The diocese, which issued a weekend statement criticizing the boysโ behavior, was unavailable for comment Tuesday morning. Both the school and the diocese websites were taken offline.
Kentuckyโs governor also weighed in, saying he was saddened by what happened.
โIt was amazing how quick those who preach tolerance and non-judgment of others were to judge and label some high school students based on partial information,โ Gov. Matt Bevin tweeted. โIn a world where we have a wealth of information at our fingertips, we have increasingly little discernment and wisdom. โฆ Facts matter. โฆ The truth matters. โฆ Context matters. โฆ A little more genuine caring for one another and a little less digital vitriol would be good for all.โ
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