“An East Tennessee State University student was arrested Wednesday after going to a Black Lives Matter protest on campus wearing a gorilla mask and handing out bananas.
Tristan Rettke, an 18-year-old freshman, wore overalls and a gorilla mask and, wandering barefoot while holding a burlap sack with a Confederate flag and a marijuana leaf on it, offered bananas to students who were protesting, according to a report by ETSU police. He was arrested and charged with civil rights intimidation.
According to campus police, after being read his rights Rettke told officers that a couple of days earlier he had seen on social media that there would be a Black Lives Matter event in the “free speech” area of Borchuck Plaza on the Johnson City, Tenn., campus. He said he went to a store Tuesday to buy rope to tie to a bunch of bananas. While there he also bought the mask and brought it all to the event on Wednesday.
According to the police report, Rettke said the stunt was an attempt to provoke the protesters.
Rettke did not immediately respond to messages from The Washington Post seeking comment Thursday.
In a video posted on social media, the protesters appear to be trying to ignore Rettke, although one protester says on the video that his hands are shaking with anger. A woman at the protest called police.”
Go to the article and read the comments
Lots there about the “Alt right”
Trump the racist , etc.
But no one seems to take offense at the sign above
“Black lives matter, All lives don’t”
Now that’s not racist at all