According to Newsweek, the mother of one of the teens from Covington Catholic High School in Kentucky wrote an angry e-mail to Heavy in response to their coverage of her son and his friends’ racist treatment of an Omaha Nation elder, Nathan Phillips that was caught on viral video at a protest. The mother blamed a group of “Black Muslims,” who were actually Black Hebrew Israelites, for the actions of her son and his friends. The email reads: “Shame on you! Were you there? Did you hear the names the people where (sic) calling these boys? It was shameful. Did you witness the black Muslims yelling profanities and video taping trying to get something to futher (sic) your narrative of hatred??”

The mother then goes on to mimic Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the news media, stating, “Did you know that this ‘man’ came up to this one boy and drummed in his face? Shame on you. Only reporting what you want. More fake news.”

After the school issued an apology on behalf of the students, the right wing has risen in their defense, alleging the video do didn’t show the full story. However, Marcus Frejo, a member of the Seminole and Pawnee tribes who was at the protest, confirmed with the Washington Post that the students not only mocked the dance of the tribes but heckled a few Black men who were nearby.

The students were in Washington D.C. to participate in a right-wing March for Life anti-abortion rally, which coincided with the Indigenous people’s rights march. The teenagers were filmed jeering and taunting Phillips directly as he sang an Omaha chant and beat a drum. They repeatedly chanted, “build the wall, build the wall,” which is typically what Trump supporters chant when they want to let people know they don’t belong in their America.

Phillips responded in another video captured after the incident, which has also gone viral. Phillips says in the emotional video: “This is indigenous lands, we’re not supposed to have walls here. We never did.”

https://twitter.com/McKayMSmith/status/1086768589691076609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1086768589691076609&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fblack-muslims-made-son-do-it-mother-maga-hat-boy-native-veteran-1298609

Covington, Kentucky Mayor Joe Mayer released a statement following the incident in which he defended his city’s values:

“Because of the actions of people who live in Northern Kentucky, our region is being challenged again to examine our core identities, values, and beliefs. Regardless of what exact town we live in, we need to ask ourselves whether behavior like this DOES represent who we are and strive to be. Is this what our schools teach? Are these the beliefs that we as parents model and condone? Is this the way we want the rest of the nation and the world to see us? In answer, let me—as Covington’s mayor—be absolutely clear: No. The videos being shared across the nation do NOT represent the core beliefs and values of this City.”