Mississippi News OXFORD — Saturday’s home of the University of Mississippi became a focal point for a national dialogue on race. Around 90 people came to support Confederate history, veterans, and other causes. They were met by almost equal-sized counter protestors; later Ole Miss basketball stars protested the presence of the Confederate group by kneeling during their National Anthem. Breein Tyree, a junior guard, stated that they were tired of hate groups visiting our school and making it seem like our university has these hate groups. The rally was organized by Confederate 901, a Memphis-based neoconfederate group that claims to be a “group devoted to the Constitution and freedom and a group of patriots.” They were joined by the Hiwaymen who, according to their Facebook page, “do Patriot Shit.” The march started at the Square in Oxford near the Confederate statue. It ended at the Circle where another monument to the unknown Confederate soldier stands. The event’s Facebook page states that the rally was organized to “draw a line” about the university’s actions over the past 20 years to contextualize or remove the monuments and traditions that glorify the Confederacy. These include: * The university disassociated itself from the Confederate Flag in 1997 amid declining enrollment. In a previous interview with Mississippi Today, Kyahat stated that the flag had to be removed. It was killing [enrollment]. We had to get rid the flag. It was a horrible experience. * Ole Miss’s mascot, Colonel Reb, was retired in 2010. Later, the Black Bear was brought in to replace him. The university took the Confederate emblem-bearing state flag from campus in 2015. * The University’s Athletic Department requested that the band stop playing “Dixie” in 2016. This was the Confederacy’s unofficial anthem. * The University of Mississippi created contextualization plaques in 2018 that acknowledged the use of slave labor to build university buildings and gave information on harmful acts committed against African-Americans, by some of those antebellum-era men named after the buildings. “Now, the same group that has been crying on endlessly is still not satisfied. THEY DEMAND THE CONFEDERATE STATUE TO BE REMOVED! It’s enough! The group’s Facebook page reads: The group’s leader, who declined to give his name as he received death threats, stated that the group gathered in Oxford because “a Communist group… protested Confederate monuments on campus and demanded they be torn down.” We responded to show support for the statue.” He is referring to Student Against Social Injustice. Although he admitted that he did not know much about the ideology of the group, he said that “90% of the opposition is a bunch if Communists.” He also stated that about 10 to 20 of those protesters were from Oxford. Students Against Social Injustice hosted a Friday “Students over Statues” march that called for the removal the Confederate monument. Students protested the Confederate Monument by staging a silent Black History Month marches one day before Ole Miss. A counter-protest rally against the Confederate was cancelled due to inclement weather, safety concerns and other reasons. However, around 80 people showed up to protest the Confederate protesters. “I am part of the community. Alexandria White said, “I have a daughter here. I have a place to call home. I want to show Oxford is more than the people who came here to represent it.” Alexandria White commented on the “heritage over hatred” narrative Confederate supporters used, saying: “Your heritage is embedded within oppressing people who look like you. They talk about heritage all the time. You can take pride in things, but they belong in museums. They belong somewhere else not at the forefront.” Cristen Hmins, another Oxford native said that she didn’t plan to protest today, but she saw “all those people there in my square with their flags. It was hard not do something.” She said that the neoconfederates’ presence in Oxford made Oxford residents feel worried, scared and bad. “It makes my heart hurt for black friends, because it’s very frightening to them and they [the Confederate enthusiasts] want it to be threatening.” She suggested that the monuments be moved from Oxford to the Confederate Cemetery where they will not be a focal point of the town or campus. Everyone had to pass a metal detector to get on campus. Then they were kept apart behind 200-foot barricades. While each side shouted and responded, law enforcement stood in the gap that separated them. On the other side of the protesting were students, protesters and community members as well as some Oxford residents. This protest is similar to the many others that have taken place over the years. It pits Confederate supporters against those who view the Confederacy in terms of racism, oppression and hatred. Although protests of this nature have been numerous and varied in size, the most notable was in Charlottesville, Virginia. The city council voted in favor of renaming two parks named after Confederate generals, and removing a statue of Robert E. Lee. Jarvis Benson, president of Black Student Union at University of Mississippi stated that Confederate protesters made it unsafe for African-American students to be on their campus. He said, “It’s been inspirational to see that many students have come together to show solidarity and that they don’t endorse those ideologies.” “We are trying to move forward together as students.”_x000D