Student arrested for wearing gorilla mask to protest

Published September 29, 2016

A student at East Tennessee State University has been arrested over disrupting a Black Lives Matter event on campus wearing a gorilla mask, carrying around a rope and trying to hand out bananas.

Media outlets report (http://bit.ly/2d5FYBy ) that Tristan Rettke was charged with one count of civil rights intimidation.

Witnesses took photos and video of the man walking up to demonstrators on Wednesday carrying a burlap sack that had a marijuana leaf and a Confederate battle flag printed on it. Rettke told police that he went to the event to provoke protesters.

The university in a statement expressed outrage at Rettke's conduct and commended students for exercising restraint in the face of offensive behavior.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/student-arrested-for-wearing-gorilla-mask-to-protest