John Rich to play concert for UNC frat bros who protected flag

(NewsNation) — It's going to be quite the party at the University of North Carolina thanks to nearly half a million dollars donated in honor of the fraternity brothers who protected a U.S. flag from protesters on Tuesday. Country music star John Rich reached out to the frat bros.

"When I saw the guys at UNC holding that flag up, making sure it did not hit the ground, it told me a lot about them," said musician John Rich. He was so impressed that he offered to perform for free at whatever party eventually took place.

"We're gonna call the show 'Flagstock.' It's gonna be an absolute blast, man," Rich told NewsNation's "On Balance" Thursday. "We may have to write a specific song about it."

Rich said it's easy to watch TV the last few weeks and believe that every college student hates America, but the UNC fraternity brothers give him hope.

"I hope that these guys inspire … young patriots across the country to do the exact same thing," he said. He added that several fellow musicians have called him to say they'd like to be part of the show.

The celebration of the students stems from a Tuesday encounter with protesters on the UNC campus. Enduring insults, middle fingers and flying water bottles, about a dozen fraternity brothers stood their ground around the American flag.

"These people wanted to tear down the flag, and we were there to protect it," Pi Kappa Phi member Brendan Rosenblum said. "Me and my friends did not allow that to happen."

The standoff began when pro-Palestinian protestors raised the Palestinian flag on the pole. UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, accompanied by police officers, took it down and re-hung the U.S. flag, which was flying at half-staff in honor of the law enforcement officers killed Monday in Charlotte.

When Roberts left and protesters tried again to take down the American flag, Rosenblum, some of his fraternity brothers and other students stepped in. They surrounded the flagpole, and kept the big flag from touching the ground. Rosenblum also held an Israeli flag.

"All of us felt that America, and the American flag — and for me, the Israeli flag — represent what we believe in," he said." And we weren't going to let anyone stop us from keeping those two things up."

By Tuesday evening, crews erected a chain-link fence around the flag pole.

The video of the fraternity brothers protecting the flag attracted hundreds of thousands of views on multiple platforms, inspiring someone to set up a GoFundMe page for the fraternity brothers.

"Throw 'em a Rager," the page reads. As of Thursday evening, more than 14,500 people had donated a total of more than $500,000.

"Armored in Vineyard Vines and Patagonia, fueled by Zyn and White Claws, these triumphant Brohemians protected Old Glory from the unwashed Marxist horde," the GoFundMe page organizers wrote.

"These boys … no, men, of the UNC Chapel Hill Pi Kappa Phi, gave the best to America and now they deserve the best. Help us raise funds to throw this frat the party they deserve, a party worth of the boat-shoed Broleteriat who did their country proud."

"It's insane," Rosenblum said of the campaign. "I'm not gonna say what we're going to do with the money. All I can say is … everyone who was there appreciates the support."

"I think it's important that we all stand up for what we believe in. I think fraternity members get a bad rap. But in the end we have a brotherhood … and no matter what happens, we're going to stand by that."