Video footage shows the moment an Oklahoma high school student knocked a “Make American Great Again” hat off the head of a fellow student.
The black student is facing a potential criminal charge after being captured on video knocking off the hat in addition to grabbing a “Trump 2020” flag from the other student, a white teenager, at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
“Take it off or I’ll rip it off … do you want me to rip it off?” the student said before knocking the hat off.
Cellphone footage of the incident circulated widely online among Trump supporters, with Ryan Fournier, chairman of Students for Trump, among those sharing it on social media websites.
Surveillance footage supports what the cellphone footage shows, school officials told KOCO.
A Trump supporting student at Edmond Santa Fe High School had his MAGA flag ripped off of him by another student.
These malicious attacks must be dealt with.
RT! pic.twitter.com/ssw208g82Z
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) February 26, 2019
The incident took place during the high school’s Double Wolf Dare Week when students can dress up as part of fundraising efforts.
An assault and battery summons has been issued for the student who accosted the Trump supporter. That student was identified as Kenneth Dwayne Jones, 18, on the summons, reported CNHI News Service. The victim hasn’t been identified because he’s a minor.
The police said that the parents of the assailant and the parents of the victim will meet with the city attorney and try to work something out.
“If not, then it’s up to the city attorney to file the assault charges against the student who is an adult,” the Edmond Police Department stated.
The school district confirmed in a public statement that officials are aware of the situation.
“Given that hats were allowed at school yesterday as part of the week-long fundraising events, there was no specific dress code violation. The student’s choice to grab a classmate’s property and knock his hat off did, however, violate the school’s discipline policy,” Edmond Public Schools said.
“In response, Edmond Santa Fe High School administrators, working simultaneously with Edmond Police, addressed the incident with swift and immediate disciplinary action. A school resource officer issued a ticket to the student who grabbed the classmate’s property. According to the Edmond Police Department, a mediation process is the next step facing the students.”
“The school district honors students’ First Amendment rights, but must at the same time be vigilant in teaching and supporting students as they learn how best to appropriately express their opinions,” the district added.
Violence Against Trump Supporters
The Oklahoma incident is just the latest in which a supporter of President Donald Trump is confronted with violence for their support of the president.
Earlier in February, cellphone footage showed Rosaine Santos, 41, assaulting a Trump supporter who was sitting at a bar in a restaurant. Santos is now facing deportation after being discovered by federal immigration authorities as an illegal alien.
Also in February, an employee at a Vans store in Kansas told a 14-year-old boy wearing a MAGA hat: “[Expletive] you,” reported the Daily Caller. The employee was fired.
Around the same time, a Kentucky man was arrested after witnesses said he pulled a gun on a man wearing a MAGA hat inside a Sam’s Club.
In California, a man was captured punching a conservative activist who was recruiting for the group Turning Point USA. The attack was celebrated by an employee of the University of California, Berkeley, where the attack occurred. The employee said: “Oh my god the MAGA people on UC Berkeley campus got punched in the face by someone this makes me feel emotionally so much better.”
A California chef in January said anyone wearing a MAGA hat would be refused service in his restaurant but he later apologized and lifted the ban.
Also in January, high school students wearing MAGA hats were smeared by national media outlets, celebrities, and others. The teenagers received death threats from many, including a Hollywood producer. Lawsuits against those who libeled the students are planned, and the first was filed in mid-February against the Washington Post.
