Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was arrested on Tuesday during a Huntington Beach city council meeting after staging a protest against a controversial plaque displayed at a public library. The plaque, which featured an acrostic spelling out "MAGA"—a reference to former President Donald Trump’s "Make America Great Again" slogan—sparked backlash from residents, including Kluwe.
According to the city’s arrest log, the 43-year-old was charged with disturbing an assembly. A video from the meeting captured Kluwe standing at the podium, delivering a prepared statement in which he called MAGA “explicitly a Nazi movement” before declaring he would engage in “peaceful civil disobedience.”
Chris Kluwe is trending in The US because the former NFL punter was arrested at the Huntington Beach council meeting for referring to the Make America Great Again -MAGA- movement as a "Nazi movement".
— Why It Is Trending (@trendingblog247) February 20, 2025
Chris Kluwe who was arrested on grounds of civil disobedience, had been… pic.twitter.com/jgd3IB7JTr
He then stepped away from the lectern and moved toward the city council’s bench, prompting police to swiftly intervene. Officers placed him in handcuffs and carried him out of the room as the tense scene unfolded.
In his statement, Kluwe criticized the MAGA movement, saying, "MAGA stands for trying to erase trans people from existence. MAGA stands for re-segregation and racism. MAGA stands for censorship and book bans. MAGA stands for firing air traffic controllers while planes are crashing.
MAGA stands for firing the 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."
He concluded with, "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, who spent eight seasons in the NFL as a punter for the Minnesota Vikings, was taken into custody for four hours before being released. The former athlete has been vocal about social and political issues for years, previously making headlines for his advocacy of same-sex marriage and criticism of NFL leadership.
Kluwe’s NFL career began in 2005 when he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Seattle Seahawks. He was later picked up by the Vikings and played for the team until 2012. He briefly competed for a spot with the Raiders in 2013 but was ultimately cut. In 2014, he announced his retirement, stating in an interview with USA TODAY Sports that he believed his outspoken views had cost him opportunities in the league.
His arrest has further fueled debate over the city’s decision to display the MAGA-themed plaque, with supporters defending it as free speech and critics arguing it promotes political propaganda in a public space.
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