Counter-protest outnumbers KKK at Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss., Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Ku Klux Klan members protesting a ban on "Dixie" at University of Mississippi football games were outnumbered 10-to-1 by counter-protesters Saturday.

Only 11 people showed up for the rally organized by the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported. They were wearing full Klan regalia, including hoods, and only one showed his face.

As the Klan members waved Confederate and Klan flags in front of Fulton Chapel, more than 100 counter-protesters and onlookers gathered nearby. Police officers and state troopers kept the two groups apart.

The KKK called its rally to protest Chancellor Dan Jones's ban on "From Dixie With Love," a medley played at Ole Miss football games for more than 20 years. The medley, combining "Dixie" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," was often followed by shouts of "The South shall rise again."

The counter-protesters, including students, faculty and alumni, read the student creed aloud, including a call for belief in "the dignity of each person."

"Our major concern was to show that this is what we stand for as a university," said Artair Rogers, the Associated Student Body president.