A group of white nationalists managed to sneak a white supremacist banner into Nationals Park on Sunday and unfurl it during the fourth inning of the game against the Baltimore Orioles.
The racist stunt happened during the Nationals’ daily “Salute to Service” honoring veterans and military personnel which happens during every home game between the third and fourth innings. Convicted January 6th rioter Jake Lang claimed credit on social media, writing, “The Crusaders have just completed our first MASSIVE FLAG DROP at the Washington Nationals MLB game!!!!! THE CROWD WENT ABSOLUTELY NUTS!!!! (They might have killed us if we didn’t get escorted out…)”
Lang was not escorted out, however. Video clearly shows that after an usher on the deck below confronted him and the two others holding the banner, Lang immediately grabbed the banner and left. The usher tried to grab the banner himself, but the three holding it in the deck above quickly grabbed it back and fled.
Folks on social media had a predictably strong reaction to the Nazi-like behavior, where on Instagram, independent reporter Brendan Gutenschwager’s (@bgonthescene) post with video of the incident had more than 9,700 likes and 5,555 comments. Reactions were mixed. Unsurprisingly, on Lang’s account, many commenters supported the flag’s sentiment, which advocated for deporting “100+ million”.
Many, however, were disgusted by the display. Because the flag did not specify which 100 million people to deport, commenter @leslieharris627 wrote, “I was hoping he was talking about replacing 100 million white supremacists with people of any color who believe we all have equal value and should have equal rights.” User @katiemainer wrote, “Doing this at an MLB game where many players are immigrants is WILD.”
Under the Nationals subreddit, user EncinoManEstonia wondered, “How does this get through security?” Others assumed it was a flag that could be folded and put under a shirt and that security was not to blame. One commenter turned President Donald Trump’s own words about immigrants against Lang, Trump, and I.C.E. Another noted the large percentage of Hispanic baseball players.
According to multiple national news outlets, the Washington Nationals say only that they have “identified and banned at least one person” who unveiled the sign, but the team did not name the person(s). In a statement to “The Athletic,” the team said they “vehemently condemn discriminatory and hateful rhetoric, and we strive to make our home field a safe space for our fans.”
No word from Major League Baseball if the ban extends to other parks as well.
On the bright side, the Orioles managed to avoid a sweep, winning the last of the three-game series against the Nats 7-3.
