Nathan Phillips: Video shows Native American man harassed by teenage boys wearing ‘MAGA’ hats after abortion protest

‘I wish I could see that energy put into making this country, really, really great,’ says Nathan Phillips

A crowd formed around Nathan Phillips as he drummed and sang following an indigenous peoples' march (@SAHLUWAL)

A Catholic school has condemned a group of students filmed harassing a Native American man during a day of public demonstrations in Washington DC.

The students, many wearing “Make America Great Again” hats, were seen surrounding Nathan Phillips and mocking his drumming and singing.

One teenager in particular is seen standing in front of Phillips, grinning. His fellow students, several in hats and sweatshirts bearing Donald Trump’s “MAGA” slogan, cheered him on and chanted, “build the wall, build the wall”, Mr Phillips said.

The encounter took place when the group from the private, all-male Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky, attended the anti-abortion March for Life rally in the capital on Friday. Mr Trump and his vice president, Mike Pence, have both signalled strong support for the march in previous years.

Footage of the confrontation involving Mr Phillips, a veteran of the Vietnam war and an elder of Nebraska’s Omaha tribe, was shared online by organisers of an indigenous peoples’ march that also took place on Friday.

In a joint statement, the high school and Diocese of Covington condemned the actions of the students “towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general”.

“The matter is being investigated and we will take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion,” the statement said.

The school and diocese extended “our deepest apologies” to Mr Phillips, they added. “This behaviour is opposed to the Church’s teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person.”

Describing the encounter, Mr Phillips said: “I heard them saying ‘build that wall, build that wall’. These are indigenous lands, we’re not supposed to have walls.

“I wish I could see that energy of that young mass of young men, put that energy into making this country, really, really great, helping those that are hungry.”

The 64-year-old told The Washington Post that he had drawn on memories of his wife, Shoshana, who died four years ago of cancer, to stay calm. The group of teenagers had swarmed around him as the indigenous march was ending, he claimed.

Mr Phillips holds an annual ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to honour Native American veterans, according to media reports.

Democratic congresswoman Deb Haaland, a member of New Mexico’s Laguna Pueblo tribe, tweeted that the students had shown “blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance”.

Additional reporting by agencies