Four people were removed from Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, for hanging a large banner that read “Racism is as American as Baseball”.
The black-and-white sign was dropped down over the middle section of the Green Monster, the stadium’s famous high left-field wall, during the fourth inning of the game against Oakland.
In a statement to the Washington Post, the individuals who unfurled the banner said they were “a group of white anti-racist protestors”.
“We want to remind everyone that just as baseball is fundamental to American culture and history, so too is racism,” the group added. “White people need to wake up to this reality before white supremacy can truly be dismantled.
“We urge anyone who is interested in learning more or taking action to contact their local racial justice organisation.”
The group said that they were “not associated with any particular organization although all of us do work as organisers in various Boston groups that combat white supremacy and racism.”
“During the fourth inning of tonight’s game, four fans unfurled a banner over the left-field wall in violation of the club’s policy prohibiting signs of any kind to be hung or affixed to the ballpark,” the Red Sox spokesperson Zineb Curran said. “The individuals involved were escorted out of Fenway Park.”
One of the protestors told CSN New England that Boston was chosen as a site to unfurl the banner because of the city’s history.
“We see Boston continually priding itself as a kind of liberal, not racist city, and are reminded also constantly that it’s actually an extremely segregated city. It has been for a long time, and that no white people can avoid the history of racism, essentially. So we did this banner as a gesture towards that, to have a conversation about that.”
The incident comes after the Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said he was subjected to racial slurs during a game in May. Sam Kennedy, the Red Sox president, apologised to Jones after he told USA Today he was “called the n-word a handful of times” by supporters.