A football fan in America has claimed he was “asked to leave” a match on Saturday due to his choice of attire.
In a video posted online, the man, who identifies himself as Michael Weitzel, can be seen wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat and exchanging words with security personnel and law enforcement at St Louis City SC’s home stadium Energizer Park.
In the video, he said: “I am Michael Weitzel and I have been asked to leave because of the Donald Trump hat.”
A member of the stadium’s security team can be heard responding, saying, “they’re non-political here” and “they don’t want any kind of political” messaging.
In response, Weitzel pointed to a section of fans who were waving flags, and suggested such items were inherently political.
However, the member of security claimed “those were pre-approved”.
According to Energizer Park’s website, banners or signs containing “commercial, political or offensive content” are forbidden, but it makes no mention of hats.
Weitzel then questioned whether the rules are applied evenly, which the security guard assured was the case.
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The incident took place at Energizer Park, the home of St .Louis City SC
Weitzel proceeded to say he was “being threatened with arrest”, before seeking confirmation he was “being evicted from the premises”.
As he made his way out of the stadium, he claimed: “Trump is not welcome in St. Louis City SC Club.”
A member of security then suggested he could return to his seat if he removed his hat, however, when Weitzel did so, someone off camera said “we are way past that point”.
Speaking about the main security guard featured in the video, Weitzel said: “It is not his fault. He is just following the rules.”
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The video ends with Weitzel declaring: “So this is what happens when you wear a Donald Trump hat at a St. Louis City SC game.”
The football club did not release anu public statements on Saturday regarding the incident.
The situation comes amidst multiple warnings from the US about the state of free speech in Britain.
Just days ago, Donald Trump’s administration said it was “greatly concerned” about freedom of speech in the UK, following the revelation of a “spy” unit in Whitehall.
A spokesman for the US State Department said Washington was monitoring the issue, which regards a team flagging videos with “concerning narratives”, “closely and with great concern”.
Topics which were flagged included asylum seekers, immigration, and two-tier policing, which the Whitehall officials claimed were “exacerbating tensions”.
Criticism over Labour’s Online Safety Act have come from allies of Donald Trump, as well as social media platforms.
Elon Musk’s platform X said: “When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of ‘online safety’.”
