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A University of Mississippi student who was caught on camera making monkey noises at a Black, female protester during a campus Gaza demonstration has been named by the college’s NAACP chapter.
The man has been identified as James “JP” Staples on the Instagram page of the university’s chapter of the human rights group, which named him along with two other students and called for their expulsion.
It comes after shocking video footage captured a white student – alleged by outlets including MailOnline.com to be Mr Staples – jumping up and down and making ape noises toward the Black protester. The footage shows him among a group of white counter-protesters at the demonstration at Ole Miss.
The incident of the racist trope and other aggressive behaviour towards the woman was filmed and later shared online.
In the NAACP Instagram post on Sunday, Mr Staples was identified as being from the Dallas area, and as a member of the Ole Miss Phi Delta Theta fraternity. The organisation’s post included four identifying pictures, at least one of which was a screengrab taken from the video of the incident.
“In light of Chancellor Glenn Boyce’s communication delivered on May 3rd, 2024, the University of Mississippi’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (UM NAACP) hereby requests the expulsion of individuals identified as the primary perpetrators of racist remarks and actions that constitute derogatory and offensive behavior,” the post read.
“UM NAACP aligns with Chancellor Glenn Boyce's declaration and emphasizes that individuals propagating hateful and racist rhetoric have no place for ‘comfort and shelter’ on our campus, particularly within our growing diverse student community.
“We are committed to ongoing efforts to identify other individuals who PUBLICLY participated in this hateful act therefore should & WILL be PUBLICLY identified.”
The Phi Delta Theta fraternity previously announced that it had expelled a member, calling the incident “offensive, outside the bounds of this discourse, and contradictory to our values”. They did not name the member publicly.
“The past few weeks have been challenging for many colleges and universities across the United States as they struggle to balance the protection of free speech with maintaining appropriate and respectful discourse among demonstrators and others within the campus community,” the statement, updated on Monday, read.
“As part of that community, Phi Delta Theta recognizes that freedom of expression is part of the collegiate experience; however, the Fraternity is committed to upholding its principles as a private membership organization.
“After reviewing the incident, it was determined that the individual’s behavior was unacceptable. The action in question was offensive, outside the bounds of this discourse, and contradictory to our values.
“In partnership with local alumni, undergraduate leadership, and the university, disciplinary due process was initiated which resulted in the removal of membership. The situation will continue to be monitored in cooperation with any further investigation.”
A spokesman from the University of Mississippi told The Independent it also could not confirm the identity of the student, but said at least one investigation into student conduct had been opened.
"Student privacy laws prohibit us from commenting on any specific student. We have opened one student conduct investigation, and are working to determine whether more cases are warranted,” the statement read.
The Independent was unable to find up-to-date contact details for Mr Staples to request comment, and he appears to have deleted his social media account.
