5 facts on Covington Catholic School boys, Nathan Phillips and Hebrew Israelites
1. Black Hebrews group hurl racist, gay slurs at students
Largely lost in the swirl of condemnations of the Catholic students for their alleged racism was a group known as the Black Hebrews who, prior to Phillips showing up at the memorial, were captured on camera jeering the teenagers as “dusty assed crackers,” “child molesting faggots," and "incest kids." They even used a racial slur against a Covington student who is black.
The Black Hebrews also reportedly jeered the Native American activists who were at the Lincoln Memorial that day: “You’re not supposed to worship eagles, buffalos, rams — that’s why the Lord took away your land.”
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Though their beliefs vary and can be difficult to pin down, the Black Hebrews, also known as the Black Hebrew Israelites, generally regard themselves as the actual descendants of the biblical Israelites and say have been cut off from their heritage.
One of the stories Phillips told the media was that he had intended to get in between the students and small group the Black Hebrews, observing there were many more teenagers than men.
“These young men were beastly and these old black individuals was their prey,” he told the Detroit Free Press.
