WATCH: Chaos Breaks Out As Anti-Vax ‘Stand With Kyrie Irving’ Protesters Smash Through Barriers and Try to Break Down Arena Doors

Sarah RumpfOct 24th, 2021, 3:58 pm
 

A chaotic scene has developed outside the Barclays Center, the home for the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, where anti-vaccine protesters knocked down security barricades and attempted to break down the doors to the arena.

The protesters are there to show support for the anti-vaccine position of Nets superstar Kyrie Irving, whose refusal to get the Covid-19 vaccine, in defiance of New York City’s vaccine mandate, resulted in the team benching him until he gets the jab.

The Nets are playing the Charlotte Hornets in their home opener Sunday, with tipoff scheduled for 4 pm ET.

Media on the scene tweeted several videos showing the protesters, some of whom were wearing “Stand With Kyrie Irving” shirts or carrying signs, pushing aside or knocking down metal security barricades and swarming towards the arena’s doors.

“Getting scary out here,” tweeted Newsday sports columnist Barbara Barker, noting that the protesters had jumped the barricades, were pushing towards the door, and chanting “Let Kyrie play.”

Security guards were able to successfully repel the protestors and block them from entering the arena, and the scene inside the Barclays Center remained peaceful so far.

Watch the video clips above, via Twitter.

This is a breaking story and has been updated.

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.