NASCAR fan tackles protesters who scaled fence to fly pro-Palestine flag at Chicago racing event
Two protestors dressed were met with brutal resistance at a Sunday NASCAR race in Chicago after they chained themselves to a fence and tried to fly a pro-Palestine flag.
But a car racing fan quickly moved to stop them, with footage showing him up on the fence wrestling for control of the flag with one of the demonstrators.
In the video posted to TikTok, a police officer appeared to stand by to make sure things didn't get any more violent while the crowd chanted in support of their fellow race car enthusiast.
The flag said 'Bombs for Gaza, Prisons for Illinois,' a dual reference to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza and Governor J.B. Pritzker's $900 million plan to demolish and rebuild two state prisons.
The protestors are seen up on the fence with the flag that was later ripped from their hands
The man in the blue sweatshirt is seen ripping the flag from one of the protestors
The NASCAR fan was victorious in the end, using his full body weight to rip the flag out of the man's hands.
He fell several feet to the ground, but quickly got back up and flashed the crumpled piece of fabric at the two men still on the fence while he walked away.
The crowd was heard laughing, whistling and shouting at the protestors throughout the confrontation.
When one of the protestors appeared to check a bruise or some sort of injury on his leg, one person mockingly yelled: 'Aw, did you get hurt?!'
This NASCAR race was held in the heart of Chicago at Grant Park and was supposed to kick off at 4:30 pm.
A rain delay however gave the protestors more time to execute their plan.
According to reports, the two men scaled the fence and affixed themselves to it at around 3:30 pm.
The struggle between the men is seen from the fans' perspective
Police scaled the fence roughly 40 minutes after the protestors chained themselves to it and arrested them on suspicion of criminal trespassing
They also flew a flag much more aimed at Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, accusing him of being complicit in the 'genocide' of Palestinians by Israeli forces
Forty minutes after that, Chicago police arrested them on suspicion of trespassing.
The same NASCAR attendee that recorded the video of the man stealing away their flag also captured the moment the two protestors were cut from the fence and taken into custody.
The crowd once again erupted into the cheers and began clapping when officers scaled the fence and cut them loose with bolt cutters.
Viewers of both viral TikToks were baffled by the venue these men chose to protest at, with many saying they picked the 'wrong crowd' to mess with.
Social media posts from the group these men were affiliated with said they were released on Monday morning after getting arrested.
It's unclear if they were charged with any crimes in relation to this incident.
Onlookers view the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course
Drivers take the stage before the start of the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series Race in Chicago
The organizers of the protest also condemned Israeli NASCAR driver Alon Day, who was present at the race.
His car was heavily damaged in a collision during testing before the actual race, which sidelined him from the event.
Day's original plan was to race in honor of the Israeli hostages and soldiers, but his damaged car was still adorned with the Israeli flag and other Hebrew iconography, Newsweek reported.
'The pro-Hamas protests on the streets, especially in the streets of Chicago, which is actually getting really dangerous,' Day told FOX News.
'I was there for a couple of days, like a week ago, and I felt the need to check that I'm not wearing anything that can identify myself as Jewish. I mean, this is how bad it is. Sounds like Germany in the '30s that I need to hide my Judaism.'
