Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe thanked supporters after being arrested for practicing “civil disobedience” during in a Southern California city council meeting where the installation of a MAGA plaque was being discussed.
“I appreciate everyone’s messages of support, I’m trying to get through all my mentions but as you can imagine, it’s been a bit of a busy day,” the NFL veteran posted on Bluesky Thursday. “Remember — peaceful civil disobedience, and no kings, no tyrants. Not ever.”
Kluwe and other protesters showed up to Tuesday’s meeting to oppose a plaque baring the words “Magical, Alluring, Galvanizing, Adventurous” being installed at a city library.
The 6’4” former athlete told those in attendance that to him, the MAGA acronym — which stands for Make America Great Again to Donald Trump supporters — symbolizes a long list of negative things the president represents.
Kluwe criticized the movement as bigoted and dangerous to the nation’s institutions in a spirited rant likening MAGA to one of history’s darkest political organizations.
“‘MAGA’ is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy and, most importantly, ‘MAGA’ is explicitly a Nazi movement,” Kluwe said from behind a podium Tuesday.
He then announced he would “engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience” before approaching city council members, sitting on the ground in front of them and being arrested.
Kluwe claimed to have spent four hours in jail following his Tuesday protest, according to NBC News.
The 43-year-old former punter spent eight seasons in the NFL. He’s a longtime gay rights advocate who suspects his activism may be the reason he was booted from professional football.