Amid the intense pro-Palestine protests at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the fraternity boys who bravely defended the American flag from protestors have received an outpouring of support from around the nation.

Country music legend John Rich praised the young men for their unwavering patriotism in preventing the mob from removing the American flag a second time.  The pro-Palestine demonstrators initially removed the Red, White, and Blue, replacing it with a Palestinian flag.

However, a university official led a group of law enforcement officials who promptly removed the foreign flag, raising the American flag back in place.  Subsequently, the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity surrounded the flag in solidarity, preventing it from touching the ground as they were pelted with water and other object from the angry crowd of protestors.

“I was so impressed that, first of all, someone had taught them … that you never let the American flag touch the ground, under any circumstances,” Rich explained to Fox News Digital when asked about a viral photograph of the students protecting the flag. “Somebody raised these guys correctly. They understand what’s going on.”

Rich further emphasized how honorable the actions were, particularly from a crowd of young people. The country music singer proclaimed that the young men deserved recognition and praise for their patriotic commitment to the symbol of our nation.

The musician added, “I think that when people, especially young people, have enough guts and determination to proclaim their love for the country and show their respect for the flag, when it’s an inconvenient moment, when it’s a tough moment to do it, they deserve to be recognized for that.  And I’m hoping that when we recognize them in such a huge way, I hope it ignites that same passion all across the country.”

Rich is reportedly working with UNC to organize a free show on the Chapel Hill campus, which could become one of the “biggest events of the year” and feature a “massive outpouring” of artists.  The singer noted that he intends to title the event “Flagstock.”

“They’re sick of it. And I really think this could be a unifying moment for just patriots across the board.  I hope college campuses across the board start having these exact types of events where they honor the flag, they proclaim their love of country. And maybe there’ll be Flagstocks all across the country,” Rich said.

Rich highlighted the right to the pursuit of happiness outlined in America’s founding documents, praising the UNC students for standing up to people trying to desecrate the very symbol that embodies this belief.  “You have the right to pursue happiness as dictated in the Declaration of Independence,” he said.

Rich continued, “And when you find yourself at a university with the opportunity to really chase down your American dream, take full advantage of it. And if anybody stands in the way of your pursuit of happiness, or they try to tear down the emblems that represent your right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, stand up and do something about it. Do not sit around and be quiet. Let everybody know you’re not all right with that. Just like the boys did at UNC.”  See footage of John Rich addressing the UNC incident on Fox News.

Note:  The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.