The Washington Nationals are investigating a racist banner incident after fans resisted removing the message before fleeing the ballpark.
WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals are investigating an incident where a fan displayed a banner with racist language during the matchup against the Orioles Sunday night.
A flag that read “Whitereplacement.org. Save America. Deport 100+ million.” was held up by a few fans Sunday afternoon. 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 ballpark.
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Investigators have identified at least one individual, who will be banned from the ballpark, and are working with with Metropolitan Police Department on a follow-up investigation.
The Nationals issued the following statement: “The Washington Nationals vehemently condemn discriminatory and hateful rhetoric, and we strive to make our home field a safe space for our fans.”
The Nationals banner policy is as follows:
The Nationals welcome signs and banners consistent with the following policies and encourage guests to show their team pride. To ensure that signs, banners and fan activities do not distract from the enjoyment of sports games or other forms of entertainment, the Nationals require all guests to adhere to the following policy within the ticketed areas:
Composition: Banners and signs must be handheld and must: (a) utilize only cloth, paper or other light flexible materials, and may not be comprised of or supported by wood, metal or other hard materials that could be dangerous in a crowded public setting, (b) not be affixed to or draped over any part of the baseball park structure, whether facing inside or outside of the baseball park, and (c) be no larger than 2 feet by 4 feet.
Display: Banners and signs may be displayed only (a) within the ballpark’s seating area, (b) in a stationary manner, (c) in a manner that does not obstruct any person’s view of the playing field or interfere with player or umpire sightlines, (d) so as not to obscure baseball park signage, equipment or advertising, (e) so as not to impede the operation of the ballpark, and (f) so as not to interfere with the game or jeopardize the safety of guests. Only one sign or banner may be displayed by each guest.
Subject Matter: The Nationals Baseball Stadium Complex* is a baseball park and entertainment venue in which guests gather for purposes of enjoyment of sports games or other forms of entertainment and 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. Therefore, all messages on banners and signs shall relate solely to one or more of the following subjects, without any unrelated collateral content whatsoever: (i) the game and institution of Major League Baseball; (ii) a Major League Baseball team; (iii) the on-field activities and/or performance of a Major League Baseball player, coach or manager; (iv) the acts or omissions of the management and other non-player employees of a Major League Baseball organization, but only to the extent that such acts or omissions may relate to or affect its team’s on-field activities and performance; (v) the entity broadcasting a baseball game played at the ballpark and the acts or omissions of the announcers in doing so; and (vi) guests’ birthday, engagement, wedding, anniversary, get well, welcome home, congratulations or similar family-friendly greetings.
b. Additionally, banners and signs may not bear a message that (i) is slanderous, (ii) is obscene, vulgar or indecent and inappropriate for viewing by children, (iii) contains “fighting words” likely to provoke a breach of the peace, (iv) is presented for a commercial purpose, or (v) contains 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.
Removal: The Nationals reserve the right to remove any display of a banner or sign that does not conform to these limitations, or require a guest to immediately stop displaying the non-conforming banner or sign.
Police are still investigating the incident.