Ex-MN Vikings Punter Arrested In Anti-MAGA Protest At City Council

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe was arrested in Huntington Beach, California on Tuesday after protesting a tribute to the MAGA movement proposed to go on the local public library.

The 43-year-old, known for his outspoken stance on LGBTQ+ rights and other social and political issues, attended a Huntington Beach city council meeting to oppose the installation of a plaque at a local library.

The proposed plaque reads: "Magical," "Alluring," "Galvanizing" and "Adventurous" next to each other. It will also reads, "Through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again!"

Kluwe confronted the city council during a meeting before being detained by authorities, video shows.

"Maga is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy and most importantly, Maga is explicitly a Nazi movement," Kluwe said. "You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat, but that’s what it is."

The former punter ended his comments by stating: "I will now engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience."

Kluwe then approached the dais where the City Council was seated. He laid down, put his arms behind his back, and was carried out of the council chambers.

"I made sure I warned the officers I was going to the ground," Kluwe told the Daily Pilot. "Then I told them, 'I’m going to stay limp, you guys got to carry me out of here.'"

City Council member Gracey Van Der Mark said Kluwe’s comments are an insult to Jewish people who support President Donald Trump and called Huntington Beach a "beautiful conservative city."

"It is OK for us to have our beautiful conservative city," she said. "We respect everyone. We’re not out there attacking people who don’t think like us, we’re not out there running across and trying to intimidate people who don’t agree with us."

Kluwe said he was jailed for around four hours after his arrest before he was cited and released.

Kluwe played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2005 to 2012. He was cut in 2013, a decision he claimed was driven by his outspoken advocacy on social issues rather than performance. Kluwe had become a prominent voice on national television, using his platform for causes such as gay rights.