MISSISSIPPI – A student from the University of Mississippi in Oxford was charged with hanging a rope and an outdated version of the Georgia state flag, which prominently depicts the Confederate flag, around the neck of the statue of James Meredith, officials announced today.
A federal grand jury indicted Graeme Phillip Harris on one count of conspiracy to violate civil rights and one count of using a threat of force to intimidate African American students because of their race or color, according to authorities.
“This shameful and ignorant act is an insult to all Americans and a violation of our most strongly-held values,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.
Adding, “No one should ever be made to feel threatened or intimidated because of what they look like or who they are. By taking appropriate action to hold wrongdoers accountable, the Department of Justice is sending a clear message that flagrant infringements of our historic civil rights will not go unnoticed or unpunished.”
According to the charging documents, this is what happened:
Harris conspired with others to use the cover of darkness to hang a rope and an outdated version of the Georgia state flag, which prominently depicts the Confederate battle flag, around the neck of the James Meredith statue on the campus of the University of Mississippi, with the intent to threaten and intimidate African-American students and employees at the university.
The iconic statue honors Meredith’s role as the university’s first African American student after its contentious 1962 integration. The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2014.
Harris is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Jackson, Mississippi, Division’s Oxford Resident Agency and the University of Mississippi Police Department, officials said.