Billionaire investor Bill Ackman donates $10,000 to UNC’s American flag rager

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe raising money for fraternity members at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to throw a party after they raised the American flag at a protest on campus.

The moment came when pro-Palestinian supporters replaced the American flag with a Palestinian flag on campus Tuesday, causing skirmishes with counterprotesters to break out.

Members of Pi Kappa Phi were seen in a viral image holding an American flag as activists threw items at them. The image resonated with many people online, prompting John Noonan to start a GoFundMe for the fraternity brothers titled “Pi Kappa Phi Men Defended Their Flag. Throw them a Rager.

The original goal was US$15,000, but in less than two days the organizer raised more than US$400,000 for the group. Ackman is one of the biggest contributors.

Ackman has been outspoken about his dismay at pro-Palestinian protests on campuses, becoming heavily involved in the issue following the December House hearing on campus anti-Semitism.

After former Harvard President Claudine Gay said during the hearing that whether calls for the genocide of the Jewish people would be considered harassment depended on the context, Ackman campaigned for his removal and stopped donating to the university.

The Hill has reached out to Ackman for comment.

“The Go Fund dispatched a member of their team to work closely with us to ensure their donations do what God intended – to show these guys enough fireworks to blow up their Oakley aviators in the face,” Noonan said in the GoFundMe campaign .

The fraternity told The News & Observer they do not know the organizer, and GoFundMe assured them the funds would be secured until they could confirm the money would go to the intended recipient.

The Hill reached out to Noonan, GoFundMe and the fraternity for comment.