The Washington Nationals have launched an investigation following a disturbing incident at Sunday’s baseball game where several individuals displayed a banner promoting a white nationalist website and demanding the deportation of “100+ million” people.
The incident occurred during the team’s daily “Salute to Service” ceremony honoring military personnel and veterans, which takes place before the fourth inning. Three people unfurled the controversial banner in the upper deck along the first-base line at Nationals Park.
When a stadium usher tried to take down the banner, the three individuals holding it pulled it away and quickly left the ballpark, according to a team spokesperson.
Team officials have successfully identified and permanently banned at least one person involved in the incident from Nationals Park. The organization is collaborating with the Metropolitan Police Department for additional investigation but has not revealed the identity of the banned individual.
“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 to multiple media outlets.
Jake Lang, a Jan. 6 rioter and conservative influencer, took credit for the banner on social media.
The Athletic reported that it is not clear at this time how the banner got through security, with the stadium’s magnetometers able to detect weapons but would not flag something like a nylon sign.
The team’s official policy states that “signs, banners and fan activities do not distract from the enjoyment of sports games or other forms of entertainment” and includes specific restrictions on size and materials used.
According to stadium guidelines, the baseball park “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.”
Permitted messages must focus on Major League Baseball, Nationals players, management, staff, broadcast entities, or family-friendly occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and engagements.
The policy specifically prohibits banners and signs containing messages that are “slanderous,” “obscene, vulgar or indecent and inappropriate for viewing by children,” contain “fighting words” likely to provoke conflict, serve commercial purposes, or include “derogatory matter relating to race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, age, personal appearance, familial status, familial responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, place of residence or business or any other category protected by D.C. law.”
Stadium management maintains the authority to remove non-compliant banners or require guests to stop displaying them immediately.
The Nationals lost Sunday’s game to the Baltimore Orioles by a score of 7-3.
