Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was arrested during a city council meeting in Huntington Beach, California, after going on a fiery rant against Donald Trump and everything his MAGA movement has perpetrated over the last couple of weeks.
The former Minnesota Vikings kicker went on this tirade because he believes the city council does not care about Huntington Beach and just wishes to pander to the MAGA frenzy. A new golden plaque put up in the Central Library of California with the four words: “Magical, alluring, galvanizing, adventurous,” a nod to Trump’s biggest mantra, also had something to do with Kluwe’s protest.
His prepared speech in the town hall in front of the city council described MAGA as an “explicitly Nazi movement” but not before bringing everybody’s attention to all the unconstitutional and borderline criminal things the second Trump administration has carried out over the past month.
“MAGA stands for resegregation and racism. MAGA stands for censorship and book bans. MAGA stands for firing air traffic controllers while planes are crashing. MAGA stands for firing people overseeing our nuclear arsenal. MAGA stands for firing military veterans and those serving them at the VA, including canceling research on veteran suicide. MAGA stands for cutting funds to education, including for disabled children.
MAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy, and most importantly, MAGA is explicitly a Nazi movement. You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat, but that is what it is.”
Kluwe then cemented his protest by approaching the council’s bench. “I will now engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience,” he said, before moving towards the council members, while the police rushed to the stage to arrest him.
Watching this ruthless dismantling of everything Trump represents in this country, and in a fashion that resonates with every American due to the country’s history, one can’t help but admire Kluwe for his action. “This is a true American!” wrote one user on TikTok, perfectly encapsulating what we’re all feeling.
The demonstration couldn’t have been more perfect had Kluwe planned it all. The police rushing the stage and apprehending him is truly a moment for the books when you realize how MAGA likes to go on and on about freedom of speech. “Land of the free, when you’re arrested for *checks notes* exercising your free speech,” wrote another user.
Kluwe was detained for four hours before being released from police custody. You can check out the full speech and Kluwe’s moment of arrest in this video, followed by a CNN interview where the footballer explains exactly why he decided to take a stand.
When asked why he took this particular action, Kluwe said: “Well, first and foremost, it’s because the Huntington Beach city council does not care about the community at Huntington Beach. They’ve made it very obvious that their goal is to advance their own interest to rise higher in Trump’s sphere of influence. And you can see that by our city attorney Michael Gates leaving the city and being appointed to Trump’s administration.”
It was only a week ago when Vice President JD Vance called out European leaders for their treatment of human rights including free speech, so I wonder if this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black or, uh, the pot giving the kettle a masterclass in hypocrisy.
