LSU’s student paper, THE DAILY REVEILLE, reports the Ku Klux Klan will stage a university-approved protest on the Ole Miss campus Saturday from 10am to 11pm. The Rebels host LSU in a football game at 3:30 ET.
Shane Tate, the North Mississippi great titan for the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, confirmed via e-mail the KKK will rally on Ole Miss’ campus in protest of the Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones’ decision to remove “From Dixie with Love” from the Ole Miss band’s song selection.
From Dixie with Love is the song that contains the lyric, “the South will rise again.”
More from KKK member Tate:
We aren’t coming there to cause problems or cause trouble. Trouble has already been caused by a handful at Ole Miss, including the black student body president, who wants to shape Ole Miss into yet another liberal sodomite college.
Now for the scary part: the university is cool with the display.*
(Barbara Lago, Ole Miss director of media and public relations) confirmed Ole Miss has been contacted by the KKK and said the group has the right to voice its opinions as long as it doesn’t interfere with university activity or the personal rights of others.
Has there ever been an organization in the history of the world that has done more to interfere with the “personal rights of others”?
Based on the student body’s refusal to stop chanting the phrase “the south will rise again” - since the Ole Miss Chancellor enacted the ban - I wouldn’t be surprised if the KKK doesn’t have some stealth supporters from within the student body.
I graduated from the University of Georgia and experienced the undercurrent of racism from my fellow students in the ’90s. I would guess that phenomena is just as prominent at Ole Miss.
It will be very interesting to see how the media covers the protest. Because the game doesn’t hold much importance on the national level, I have a feeling we’ll only see a few seconds of it on ESPN and other national sports outlets. If at all.
We’ll see more coverage on CNN and other major news outlets, who are probably salivating at the prospect of drumming up ratings with wall-to-wall coverage. Of course, that’s the only reason the protest is taking place. It’s not to affect change but instead to antagonize and increase the despicable organization’s notoriety.
*UPDATE*: As I’m being assailed in the comments, let me state that I’m biased when it comes to peaceable assembly. People walking around in masks and preaching threatening rhetoric represents a danger to the public in my opinion.
I think there are plenty of state colleges which would not allow the KKK to demonstrate on its campus under these circumstances.
I fully understand that Ole Miss, by approving the demonstration, does not endorse the KKK’s views, so my characterization of the school being “cool with it” was perhaps misleading.
4:47 pm on November 19th, 2009
I agree that the KKK is despicable and that the protest is ridiculous. But I think it’s pretty unfair and misleading to say Ole Miss is “cool” with it or that the protest is university approved, especially given that the protest is a result of the university trying to distance itself from that mentality. That’s not what Ms. Lago said at all. She’s basically conceding that the university has no legal ability to stop them from protesting as long as they don’t interfere with university activities. I imagine there will be a police and security presence to control the situation. What would you rather Ole Miss, a public university, do? Ban them from being there than get slapped with a lawsuit? Personally I’d rather let them do it, then throw them in jail when they (probably inevitably) get out of line.
4:59 pm on November 19th, 2009
As much as I disagree with what they stand for….they should be allowed to protest. If ignorance and stupidity aren’t against the law….in fact it will usually get you elected to office.
5:00 pm on November 19th, 2009
“Has there ever been an organization in the history of the world that has done more to interfere with the “personal rights of others”?”
Aside from every organized religion, no.
5:06 pm on November 19th, 2009
I think its smart…Makes it look like people who side with the song are on the side of the KKK. Good politics.
5:09 pm on November 19th, 2009
Blame this one on the chancellor. He swings his P.C. pendulum one way, and the KKK swings it back.
5:09 pm on November 19th, 2009
Ole Miss still plays football?
5:11 pm on November 19th, 2009
The school had to sign off on the protest being on campus grounds. How else am I supposed to characterize the school’s ‘approval’ of the event? It’s either/or. There’s no semantic hedge, sorry Ole Miss fans.
5:12 pm on November 19th, 2009
Brittany is correct. Ole Miss is a public university. Its ability to prohibit demonstrations based on the content of the protesters’ speech is quite limited. I know you’re not a lawyer, Brooks, but perhaps a journalist — even a sports journalist — should have a basic understanding of First Amendment law. Further, that there might be those at the university who support the KKK is disturbing, but it is irrelevant to whether the public school can ban a peaceful protest.
5:20 pm on November 19th, 2009
I heard Gameday is at Ole Miss this weekend.
5:21 pm on November 19th, 2009
“Has there ever been an organization in the history of the world that has done more to interfere with the “personal rights of others”?”
The Roman Empire? Democratic National Committee? American Trial Lawyers Association? The NCAA?
5:27 pm on November 19th, 2009
Brooks, as always you are a West Coast slanted ‘tard. Ole Miss is public and therefore cannot deny a protest. If I were not such a hound of hot chicks I would stop reading your website, but…
5:39 pm on November 19th, 2009
Only I am authorized to use the term “liberal sodomite”. Expect to hear from my family of attorneys, you liberal sodomite.
5:51 pm on November 19th, 2009
Brooks, you are obviously putting a slant on this subject. Being a public university UofM is severely limited in denying access. Get the facts straight. Ole Miss is trying to do the right thing and rid itself of images that can be construed in a negative light. Your spin reads like they are condone this activity.
5:52 pm on November 19th, 2009
With all due respect, this article is a little misleading. Saying the university “approved” it means that they approved the message. Dan Jones would be the last one to do that, given what he’s trying to accomplish.
Regardless of what he wants, he’s got to give them a forum since it’s a state university and a first amendment issue. If he didn’t allow them to protest, he would likely be sued and lose. There are plenty of legit reasons to make fun of Ole Miss, this shoddy editorializing isn’t necessary.
6:07 pm on November 19th, 2009
Hey genius,
Neither Ole Miss nor any other public university can deny an organization the right to protest on campus merely because the university may disagree with the organization’s message or beliefs.
The overwhelming majority of Ole Miss alumni, such as myself, have nothing but abject hatred for the KKK and those idiot students who created this issue by clinging to a stupid chant which was never a tradition at Ole Miss to begin with.
In all likelihood the KKK will never step foot on campus or anywhere near Ole Miss. They do this type of thing periodically to draw attention.
6:15 pm on November 19th, 2009
Look, I’m a Memphis fan, hate, hate, hate Ole Miss and I hate “the south will rise again type neo-confederate bullcrap, but….
1. Because of the 1st Amendment, the University, as an agency of the state, has no choice but to let the Klan stage a rally in a place that’s otherwise open to the public.. Saying that Ole Miss “approves” of the rally when they have no choice but to let it go on is borderline defamatory.
2. The song in question does not contain the lyric “The South Will Rise Again” the students started chanting that phrase at the end of the song a few years ago and the school’s Chancellor banned the song only after the students refused to stop doing so after several requests.
Google is an easily accessible resource. Doing some reading before flying off the handle and irresponsibly posting wildly inaccurate information is not that difficult.
6:15 pm on November 19th, 2009
“The school had to sign off on the protest being on campus grounds. How else am I supposed to characterize the school’s ‘approval’ of the event? It’s either/or. There’s no semantic hedge, sorry Ole Miss fans.”
Right. You state in the article, “Now for the scary part: the university is cool with the display.” Clearly the implication you intended is that Ole Miss is a racist institution. Why else would you describe the university’s actions as “scary”? Perhaps it would be wise to have a rudimentary understanding of the concept of free speech before labeling a public university racist for allowing speech which everyone associated with the school finds disgusting and racist.
6:32 pm on November 19th, 2009
I’m no fan of the KKK
7:02 pm on November 19th, 2009
“I know you’re not a lawyer, Brooks, but perhaps a journalist — even a sports journalist — should have a basic understanding of First Amendment law.”
Ah yes, another Constitution snob. I know you’re too rigid to comprehend the notion that people can both break news and offer an opinion (and even, *gasp* not consider themselves journalists), but you should understand that just because Brooks has sports news content on his site, does not mean he is obligated to track down every last “x” and “o” detail of the law. Snooty prick.
7:37 pm on November 19th, 2009
As I’m being assailed in the comments, let me state that I’m biased when it comes to peaceable assembly. People walking around in masks and preaching threatening rhetoric represents a danger to the public in my opinion.
I think there are plenty of state colleges which would not allow the KKK to demonstrate on its campus under these circumstances. The school DOES have a choice to not allow the demonstration if it deems the assembly to be a danger to the public.
I fully understand that Ole Miss, by approving the demonstration, does not endorse the KKK’s views, so my characterization of the school being “cool with it” was perhaps misleading.
8:26 pm on November 19th, 2009
Stick to your guns Brooks, Ole Miss fans and alumni should be ashamed of their racists students more than they are mad at a blogger.
Congrats to Ole Miss, your students share the same goals as the KKK.
9:28 pm on November 19th, 2009
F*** the KKK and all their in-bred spawn.
Let ‘em waste their effort on this kind of crap, because the power only goes to them when you listen, or give a rat’s *ss what they do. Maybe they’ll take some pics of their stupid-*ss rally on their cell phones that were made in Asia……
9:45 pm on November 19th, 2009
Alright..since you seem to think there are plenty of universities that would not let them protest…call 25 universities and talk to their pr department….see what they tell you
we will all wait for your findings
9:51 pm on November 19th, 2009
“The South will rise!”. Ha! I wish they WOULD rise so that I could laugh as they’re smacked right back down again. I might actually consider enlisting for that little skirmish.
10:05 pm on November 19th, 2009
It’s pretty sad that people actually voted ‘yes’
10:19 pm on November 19th, 2009
I’d rather give Ole Miss the benefit of the doubt. I feel confident they likely consulted their lawyers, looked at how other schools may have handled similar situations, and explored all their options within the law before deciding not to fight the protest. I doubt it was an impulse decision, rather a thoroughly considered one, the full reasoning behind it we’re not privy to. Not giving them the benefit of the doubt is your choice obviously, Brooks, and who knows, you might be right, they may still be a bunch of racist douches, but I do appreciate you acknowledging that implying they’re ‘cool with it’ was a little misleading. I understand your point about not allowing it in the interest of public safety, but that is again a legal standard they’d have to establish.
‘kyvolunteer’ also makes an interesting point- that by allowing the protest to happen, Ole Miss may have helped their initiative to distance themselves from the past by associating those that continue the chant with the KKK.
Even without this issue, Ole Miss has a tough road to travel to remodel their image, with so many “traditions” and mentalities so heavily ingrained in the school. The nickname itself is an homage to the ‘Old South’. That being said, I DO give the Ole Miss administration credit for at least trying to make changes.
10:23 pm on November 19th, 2009
Whoa, whoa, whoa FromCT! Progress does not come from repression. A vote yes does not mean acceptance in any way.
11:06 pm on November 19th, 2009
This will do wonders for recruiting.
12:50 am on November 20th, 2009
Good think writing misleading stories is not a crime or SbB would be waiting for a bail bondsman. You should have a bright future in the National Media based on how good of a job you did misrepresenting all that is going on.
1:16 am on November 20th, 2009
F*** the South and the horse it rode in on.
8:31 am on November 20th, 2009
Houston Nutt and the Ole Miss athletic program will suffer a huge setback due to this protest. EVERY SEC and national program will use this during recruiting. Sorry Ole Miss, but you will FOREVER be a bottom rung BCS football program.
10:17 am on November 20th, 2009
Hey, what about Brooks’ right to free speech? It’s his site, he can slant it any f***in’ way he wants. There isn’t a news broadcast out there today that doesn’t slant the news in their favor. Fox is pathetic, MSNBC is getting just as pathetic trying to keep up with Fox. Nobody just reports the news anymore, it’s all opinion. I can’t believe it takes a Klan rally to get you douche bags fired up over journalistic integrity. You gotta be f***in’ kidding me…
You want to report it fair and unbiased, go open your own f***in’ blog…
10:23 am on November 20th, 2009
Brooks,
You’re being “assailed” in the comments because you wrote an incorrect, defamatory article, and refuse to admit it. Regardless of what you “think,” you’re wrong. If a state college could regulate a demonstration merely because it deems it a “danger to the public,” free speech would be meaningless.
If your definition of “danger to the public” is that those who disagree with the demonstration may be incited to violence, then protests during the Civil Rights era surely could have been characterized as a “danger to the public,” as could abortion protests, PETA protests, etc., today.
Why don’t you just admit that what you wrote is garbage, topped off with that cute picture juxtaposing the Ole Miss logo with racist imagery, for the sole purpose of labeling Ole Miss as a racist institution?
11:06 am on November 20th, 2009
Brooks
I don’t know who this idiot is who writes for you, but come on…. “in the History of the world”? This is our problem we really have no history of our country nor of the world. Why don’t you see what’s going on currently in African countries that are governed not by whites but by blacks.
11:38 am on November 20th, 2009
I think it is alot of bullshit. The kkk days is over and if I was a black student at Ole Miss or a black football player I would let the kkks have my place as a student or as a football player. That bullshit is a slap in the face to the blacks of the university. I never likes Ole Miss in the first place now I really hate them M—-f——. What need to happen is the black get together and do them like they did us in the past.
2:21 pm on November 20th, 2009
I am not a fan of any “exclusive” group of biggots. Wether it be the KKK or the Black Panthers, a biggot is a biggot. Call it for what it is and let’s all move on, together. However, I understand that the fact that these groups still exist and even thrive in our society is a true testament to the greatness of this nation. I have the right to be wrong, you have the right to be wrong. The same freedoms afforded to me, should be afforded to you. I am only of one race, and that is the HUMAN race. Until we ALL start seeing ourselves as the same race, things will not much improve.
5:32 pm on November 20th, 2009
It is okay to be proud of your heritage. If you are proud to be white or proud to be black or proud to be whatever then so be it. There is nothing wrong with that. There is a problem when pride turns into feelings of elitism. Be proud of who you are and respect that other people are proud of who they are. The KKK, in general, does not respect the fact that other races are proud of who they are. It is unfortunate that an organization like the KKK can conjure feelings of hatred and anger in people that are opposed to them. When this occurs you are at the same level as the KKK. If you want to “do them like they did us in the past” then you are on an even lower level than the KKK.
2:07 am on November 21st, 2009
I’m a huge fan of the school and it’s athletics. It’s where I graduated. I love the place. And I’m extremely proud of my heritage. I love the medley “Dixie with Love”. It does not contain the lyrics “the South Will Rise Again” within it. I would know. Every college in the world prides itself in tradition. And the band playing it is a tradition. Ole Miss alumni and supporters are NOT Racists!! But we DO have traditions. The KKK coming to the University is not going to help anything. Just hurt. Probably not physically, but hurts the image, athletics, and so on. Our mascot does not mean hate. It means tradition and heritage. And it’s a very small number students that even chanted. And it was just a couple instances when they did. They were really rebelling against the chancelor. I don’t agree with them chanting during medley. They have got to be and feel like f**king idiots for doing so. But we want our tradition at Ole Miss back!!!! But we don’t need the kkk, like ten students at a game chanting in a group like dummies, or people giving an opinion when they don’t know what the hell is REALLY going on.
10:10 am on November 21st, 2009
I think it is absoluely ridiculous that the KKK will be at the game today, and that the school has approved it! how dumb is this? I live in MS and have never seen a klan member before ever! But i think they are a despicable group of sad men that have nothing better to do than dress up in their little ghost suits and screw with people. I take offense to their rally and im not even black, or a minority for that matter… perhaps they should just ban the saying at the end of the song and not the song itself… the song sounds fine but really “the south will rise again?” what the hell is that about?! where are we gonna “rise” to? how is that not offensive to people? I just hope no one gets hurt up there in oxford today… it would make me sick to hear of a riot of some kind over a dumb song and an idioic group just having to rear their ugly head for “southern pride”
12:34 pm on November 21st, 2009
um. why don’t ya’ll read an article from a real news website. This is all very misleading from the facts and the truth. The school prepared for the kkk to want to come and protest when they asked the band to quit playing “dixie” at football games. Seeing they they have freedom of speech, the kkk was only granted one hour in a specific area to protest about the song and the song only-
12:55 pm on November 21st, 2009
As both a black female and alum of Ole Miss, I must say it is heart wrenching to hear something like this. By this, I mean the kkk’s march. I’ve heard the chant many times, and honestly the issue has been a big deal for the last few years. I think it’s unfair to blame this whole thing on a small group of people. I will also say that the new chancellor was correct in taking action after asking a change be made and warning of the consequences. To Jess, they did ban the saying at the end, but it continued so he banned the song.
Let me also explain that I have stood in the Grove and heard the song. It is a strange feeling to hear those words yelled so loudly with such force and determination. Especially when these are the same words that used to be left painted on burned black churches and homes. However I didn’t immediately take it as racist in that situation. One Saturday morning as I stood in the Grove before a game, I stood next to a couple who I didn’t know. We had laughed and talked and even laughed at drunken guys together and when that song came on the same determination came into them. I took it as “rebel pride”. However when it came to the end of the song, the wife did not chant. I must add that those five words ARE NOT A PART OF THE SONG. I can’t definitely say why she didnt, but she didn’t. Again I didn’t think it racist. Yes it is a slightly uncomfortable feeling but it’s not anything I haven’t felt before as a student at Ole Miss.
I believe the reason that action was taken had little to do with the minority, but rather the fact that Ole Miss was ranked this year. We were/are constantly televised and that chant (to the rest of the country) magnifies that “discomfort”, and solidifies Mississippi’s racist reputation. For many standing up on tradition, from my understanding the chant has only been in effect for the past few years. I don’t know.
5:31 pm on November 21st, 2009
When I went to grade school, if you’d done something stupid you sat in the corner with a big pointy hat on (a dunce cap). See any paralells when you look at KKK mbrs? lol They really are daft, misguided people.
3:50 pm on November 22nd, 2009
does anyone remember when the military came to the University of Mississippi to shut down the KKK ,back in the Kennedy days? ole ms has certainly taken it’s time taking down that crap, flag, cornel rebel, song, what has taken so long, this is november 2009. so why is this state still at the bottom of our country, in almost everything, education, ect. some never learn and this is one state that hasn’t, using the blacks still and it’s sad to see, but it is what it is, where have all the good people gone, to help this racist stuff to quit, Good Ole Boy System.
5:35 pm on November 22nd, 2009
Kudos to the KKK for voicing their opposition. While you may not agree with them, they have the right to protest and voice their opinion. The NAACP is a racist group and they protest. The Democratic Party is a racist group and they are destroying this nation. So, the KKK has every right and I’m proud of the KKK.
8:14 pm on November 22nd, 2009
This is an interesting article, and I also can’t believe that the KKK is still a functioning group of people. It is great that they have the right to peacefully protest whatever the hell they want (even though it’s not a peaceful message). Nancy, what are you referring to with your comment that the Democratic Party is a racist group? In what way is a group in which any race can be a member, “racist”? The KKK has every right, as you say, but if you are proud of them, just come out and be proud enough of yourself to say that YOU are racist, rather than trying to bring other groups in to make the KKK look rational. Just seems cowardly, to me, to hide behind misplaced accusations of racism and then say you are proud of the KKK. In fact, if you are proud of the KKK being racist, and you say the Democratic party is racist, shouldn’t you be equally proud of the Democratic party?
8:40 pm on November 22nd, 2009
I feel if you are grown people why hide behind a sheet? I feel you should stand up to what you believe those dogs are cowards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8:45 pm on November 22nd, 2009
They are cowards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12:51 pm on November 23rd, 2009
If the NAACP is allowed to publicly demand rights just for black students why would the KKK not be allowed to demand rights for white students? I am honestly tired of the double standard.