Protesters removed from Orioles game after ‘Free Palestine’ demonstration
Four fans at Camden Yards who protested to support Palestine during the Orioles’ game Wednesday night were removed from the lower bowl for violating the club’s fan policy, the team said.
During the second inning, the fans waved Palestinian flags, including one that read “Free Palestine,” behind home plate and briefly chanted before being escorted out of the stands and removed from the stadium.
In a statement, the Orioles said the fans were not in their ticketed seats and were “inciting fans.” The club also said “political signage” is against the team’s fan policy.
“The individuals displaying political signage, which is a violation of our policy, were not seated in their ticketed seats and inciting fans in the surrounding area,” the Orioles said in a statement. “They were removed from the ballpark.”
It is normal for fans who are not sitting in their ticketed seats to be removed, especially in the front rows where the pro-Palestinian fans were demonstrating.
The Orioles’ fan guidelines permit homemade banners and signs, but the club reserves the right to remove ones that are “political.” In August 2019, four people were escorted from Camden Yards after unveiling a “Trump 2020” banner in the second deck of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“Banners may only be displayed before and after the game and between innings. Banners will be confiscated in which content is commercial, political, and/or in bad taste according to the Orioles’ discretion,” per the club’s fan guidelines. “The Orioles reserve the right to remove any banner at any time and people involved are subject to ejection.”
After the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, a terrorist group that governs the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian territory, Israel declared war on Hamas. The sides have since been engaged in a deadly conflict during which thousands of civilians have died.
This story might be updated.