A pro-Palestine protester was booed heavily as he was escorted from the field during an MLB baseball game on Friday night after running onto the pitch with a Palestinian flag.
At 9.11pm in the seventh inning of the game, which took place on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the man sprinted from left-field towards centre, wearing a red, white and blue baseball jersey bearing the words “No Kings” on the front.
Security and police officers moved to stop him, but he ran through several officials before eventually being brought to the ground. Three officers pinned him down before he was handcuffed and escorted from the field.
The incident drew a strong reaction from fans inside the stadium. Spectators booed the field invader and threw drinks and cans in his direction. Others chanted “USA” as he was escorted from the field.
The atmosphere in the stadium had already become emotional during the anniversary ceremony, with fans holding up posters featuring photographs of lost loved ones alongside messages including, “USA fears nobody, play ball”.
The man was identified on Saturday 12th as Kelly Marcucci of Long Island, New York.
The NYPD confirmed that Marcucci was taken into custody on two charges, a misdemeanour for interfering with a professional sporting event and a violation for trespassing.
The words on Marcucci’s jersey were apparently a reference to the “No Kings” movement that has emerged in opposition to President Donald Trump and what its organisers describe as an expansion of presidential power and an erosion of democratic norms.
The movement takes its name from the idea that America was founded in opposition to monarchy and that no president should be treated as a king.
The movement has featured prominently in protests over the Trump administration’s policies, including immigration enforcement and the deployment of federal forces.
The Yankees declined to comment on the incident, per the New York Times.
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