Republican congressman appears to endorse Ole Miss student’s racist response to black protester

After pro-Palestinian protesters were racially taunted by counter-protesters at the University of Mississippi on Thursday, Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) said reposted a video of a student making monkey noises at a black woman, with the caption “Ole Miss taking care of business.”

About 25 student demonstrators came to campus this week to protest the ongoing killings in Gaza, carrying Palestinian flags and signs reading “Stop the Genocide.” Amid calls for “free Palestine,” hundreds of counter-protesters showed up, throwing food and bottles and decrying the pro-Palestinian rally, with some reportedly waving Trump flags. Counter-protesters recited the national anthem and sang “lock her up,” “go to the shower,” and a variety of racist comments.

In the video reposted by Georgia’s representative to As police tried to keep the two groups separated, counter-protesters appeared to push further toward the pro-Palestinian group. According to local news station WTVA, the pro-Palestinian demonstrators ultimately had to be escorted off campus by law enforcement officers.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, among other things, showed support for the counter-protesters, posting on X that the counter-protests “warm (his) heart.”

Collins, who voted no on the House bill to expand the definition of anti-Semitism, has previously expanded on messages from outspoken neo-Nazis, including one in March of this year that targeted a Jewish reporter.