At the opener for the Nationals’ season, America’s favorite pastime got a dose of other American pastime: political unrest. At the home season-opener of the Washington Nationals baseball club. Near the end of the game played in the nation’s capital, attendees were shown a huge banner that encouraged the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Having seen their team defeat the Miami Marlins, many of the more than 40,000 fans were on their way out of Nationals Park when the banner appeared. Measuring some 30 feet wide and about 20 feet high, the banner consisted of the wording “Impeach Trump #Resist” inscribed on a Russian flag, with its distinctive white, blue and red stripes. The flag was quickly confiscated by security personnel, with a team spokesman noting that such protests violate park policy.
The protest was the work of the organization Americans Take Action, whose members decided not to stick around after dropping the banner. Jason Charter, a member of the group, said that the protest was begun near the end of the game out of respect of an American tradition.
One person who did not see the protest in person was Trump, who did not attend the game. Charter claimed that Trump skipped the game to avoid what could have been a chorus of boos from the fans.