Who would’ve ever thought the American flag needed protection on American soil? Well, with leftist haters like those overrunning American college campuses, it does. Fortunately, as I noted yesterday, all hope is not lost, which some Patriots on those campuses readily displayed.

Anti-American and anti-Israel protests escalated this week, and police arrested criminal yahoos on campuses around the country. In response to arrests at the University of North Carolina, protesters there broke down barriers and took down the American flag to replace it with a Palestinian flag.

In stepped interim Chancellor Lee Roberts, who led a contingent of police into the midst of the angry, profanity-screaming mob to personally raise the American flag on a flagpole at the center of the university’s Chapel Hill campus while counter-protesters chanted “USA” and sang the national anthem. After Roberts left for a press conference, however, protesters again started lowering the flag when it was saved by — who else? — a bunch of white frat boys.

The fraternity brothers lifted Old Glory off the ground and stood guard around it while protesters hurled vulgar insults and threw water bottles at them. (No wonder they’re complaining about being hungry and thirsty.)

In response, a GoFundMe page was set up for these young men to “throw ‘em a rager” (i.e., “to throw this frat the party they deserve”), and as of this writing, it’s topped $400,000. We’re all grateful for these young men’s actions, though I question whether funding a replay of “Animal House” is really the best idea.

A similar episode played out at a City College of New York campus, where New York police officers took down a Palestinian flag, which a security guard then threw on the ground. Officers replaced it with the American flag. It’s not hard to understand this sentiment for the men and women who take oaths to support and defend the Constitution and the flag representing it.

“That’s our flag, folks,” said New York Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer and a Democrat. “Who would take over our buildings and put another flag up? It may be fine to other people but not to me. My uncle died defending this country. These men and women put their lives on the line. It’s despicable that schools will allow another country’s flag to fly in our country.” He added: “So blame me for being proud to be an American. And I thank Commissioner Daughtry for putting our flag back up. We are not surrendering our way of life to anyone.”

It’s nice to see even a Democrat mayor get it.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of campuses around the country where no hateful protests happened in the first place. At the University of Florida, it’s because school President Ben Sasse, former Nebraska senator, isn’t messing around. Setting up one of these protests will be met with “a 3-year trespass and suspension” for students and termination for employees.

At Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, students gathered for prayer and worship in a pro-America, pro-Israel display. Fox News took note:

Instead of chanting “We are Hamas,” Liberty students sang out: “Great are you Lord.”

Instead of repeating “From the River to the Sea,” Liberty students belted out: “I’ll praise you in the valley, I’ll praise you on the mountain.”

“While so many campuses are erupting in anger, hatred, and violence,” said Liberty University Chancellor Jonathan Falwell, “it is refreshing to see the students at Liberty University reflecting the love of Christ as we are commanded to do by Scripture.”

Unfortunately, young Americans are often taught in American taxpayer-funded public schools, colleges, and universities to hate America. Call me crazy, but that sounds counterintuitive.

Joe “Unity” Biden, who’s been trying to buy the votes of young people by transferring their student loans to taxpayers and calling it “debt forgiveness,” has largely been silent about the protests. He’s let a couple of surrogates express mild rebuke, but he didn’t say much himself until shuffling out this morning to extol the virtue of protests while kind of condemning breaking the law but also saying nothing has really changed his mind on policy. What clarity.

Things were clear at the University of Alabama, though, where people waving Palestinian flags united with people waving Donald Trump flags to chant, er, “Let’s Go Brandon!”

Speaking of Biden, NBC News, which effectively functions as a Biden surrogate, ran this unintentionally hilarious headline after Donald Trump’s rally yesterday: “Trump tries to paint college campus anti-Israel protests as a Biden political liability.” Um, it is Biden’s liability. That’s why he’s being quiet. The protests are also practically campaign commercials for Trump.

Again, though, the good news is that these protesters may be loud and obnoxious, but they don’t represent all young people. There is hope for the next generation — especially, perhaps, as they see contrasting examples of behavior regarding the American flag.