Washington Nationals Ban Fan Who Held Up White Nationalist Banner at Game
Team officials attempted to confiscate the banner once it was unfurled, but they were met with resistance and the individuals fled Nationals Park on Sunday, May 17
Credit: G Fiume/Getty NEED TO KNOW The Washington Nationals have banned a fan for displaying a white supremacist banner during a game The team tried to confiscate the banner but the offending individuals fled A Nationals spokesperson told PEOPLE that the team has identified one of the individuals and is working with local police in the ongoing investigation The Washington Nationals have banned a fan who displayed a banner during a game on Sunday, May 17 that called for the deportation of “100+ million” and featured a white nationalist website, a team spokesperson told PEOPLE. “The Washington Nationals vehemently condemn discriminatory and hateful rhetoric, and we strive to make our home field a safe space for our fans,” the team said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. According to a Nationals spokesperson, a guest experience representative attempted to confiscate the banner once it was unfurled, but was met with resistance, and the offending individuals fled the premises.
The team has identified at least one individual who will be banned from Nationals Park, and it is coordinating with the Metropolitan Police Department in the ongoing investigation. Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty A self-described Jan.
6 rioter and conservative influencer named Jake Lang took credit for the stunt on social media. Nationals Park has a set of guidelines in its guest conduct policy that explicitly states that the venue is “not a forum or place for use by the public at large for assembly and speech, for use by certain speakers or for the discussion of certain subjects. " Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE's free sports newsletter — sign up now!
The incident comes just over a month after the Dallas Stars banned a fan who was part of a group that apparently gave a Nazi salute during a game earlier this season. The fan, who purchased the tickets, was banned “indefinitely” from American Airlines Center (AAC) — the Stars' home arena near downtown Dallas — the team said in a statement on Monday, April 6. "We identified and spoke with the individual that purchased the tickets and will be banning the individual indefinitely from the American Airlines Center," the Stars said in a statement.