A group of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill fraternity members who gained national notoriety for guarding the American flag on the campus quad during a tense public protest are reentering the political spotlight.

Members of Alpha Epsilon Pi, Pi Kappa Phi and other fraternities have been invited to speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week. Some of the fraternity brothers entered the spotlight while standing around the American flag at a pro-Palestinian protest on campus on April 30. The group is among numerous speakers picked for the "Everyday American Convention," spearheaded by the RNC and the Donald Trump campaign.

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A photo showing the young men appearing to hold the flag up in the rain after protesters lowered the flag and replaced it with a Palestinian flag went viral, as did a lighthearted fundraiser that was spawned in the following days. Organizers called for people to donate money for "a world-class party" to celebrate their mission.

The group that organized the event — called 'Flagstock' — said the event is not politically affiliated and that organizers weren't involved in the RNC invitation.

The act prompted interim Chancellor Lee Roberts to walk out with authorities into the quad in a scene that was contentious at times. Roberts told media at the protest the American flag "will stand here as long as I'm chancellor."

The American flag was eventually raised again hours later.

In the spring, UNC was one of many universities across the country with on-campus clashes highlighting the tension between the Israel-Hamas conflict. Duke University had a occurrence where three dozen students left the ceremony at its spring commencement over speaker Jerry Seinfeld's stance on Israel.

Republicans are largely unified in their support for Israel's response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. A Gallup poll taken in June showed that 76% of Republicans supported Israel's actions against Hamas. Democrats’ and independents’ support was 23% and 34%, respectively.

The Republican convention runs from Monday through Thursday.