A U.S. diocese has apologised and vowed to take action after videos emerged showing boys from a Catholic private school mocking an elderly Native American man at a rally in Washington DC, triggering widespread criticism. The incident occurred on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Friday when the annual anti-abortion ‘March for Life’ coincided with a rally by indigenous communities calling for their rights to be respected.
In footage captured on multiple phone camera videos, a student from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat is seen smirking as he stands extremely close to Nathan Phillips, a Native American Vietnam war veteran, who beats a traditional drum while chanting. Other teens, many also wearing clothing bearing President Donald Trump’s slogan jeered, jumped and appeared to mock the man.
The Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School issued a statement rebuking the students. “We condemn the actions of the Covington Catholic High School students towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general, on Jan. 18, after the March for Life, in Washington, D.C.,” the statement said.
