Ex-NFL Player Arrested Protesting MAGA Plaque

Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe pushed back against the "Make America Great Again" movement at a meeting of the California city of Huntington Beach City Council, earning an arrest for his efforts. The details:

• Impetus: According to the New York Times, the 43-year-old showed up at the meeting on Tuesday evening to protest plans for a 50th anniversary plaque to be erected at the Huntington Beach Central Library—one that uses the "MAGA" acronym to spell out the words "magical," "alluring," "galvanizing," and "adventurous." In addition, the plaque would contain the line "Through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again!," also tapping into the "hope and change" and "build back better" slogans adopted by the camps of former Presidents Obama and Biden.

• Kluwe's speech: The longtime Huntington Beach resident took to the audience podium to speak during the meeting, claiming that a "vast, vast majority [of fellow residents] are against including a MAGA acrostic" on the library plaque. He went through a list of what he believes MAGA stands for (resegregation, censorship, racism, etc.), then prompted applause from the crowd when he asserted that "MAGA is explicitly a Nazi movement." "You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat, but that is what it is," he noted.
• Arrest: After his short speech, Kluwe announced, "I will now engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience," before leaving the podium and strolling up to the platform in front of where the council members were seated. He was immediately restrained and brought to the ground by several police officers in attendance, then carried out.

• History: The UCLA grad who majored in history and political science had been a very outspoken advocate for same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ rights while in the NFL, which he said often caused tension with the coaching staff. He retired from professional football in 2013, after the Vikings released him the previous year, which Kluwe claims was due to his activism (the Vikings deny that).
• Aftermath: Kluwe tells the Daily Pilot he didn't resist arrest and that he was released four hours later. The Huntington Beach Police Department lists the charge against him as "disturbance, etc. at assembly, etc.," per the Times. He tells USA Today that he wanted to use the "privilege and power" he has as a straight white male to push back, and that his wife was supportive of his plans to disrupt the meeting, telling him, "Yeah, sure" when he mentioned beforehand that he might get arrested. He also thanked fans for their support and tweeted on Thursday, "Remember—peaceful civil disobedience, and no kings, no tyrants. Not ever." More of Kluwe's reaction here.

(More Chris Kluwe stories.)