A young man wearing a Free Palestine shirt invaded the pitch during the India vs Australia World Cup finals in Ahmedabad, India. The man, who was later identified as Johnson Wayne. He was seen running onto the field and trying to hug Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.
A guy wearing a ‘Free Palestine’ t-shirt ran onto the field during the India vs Australia World Cup finals. This happened in Ahmedabad during the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He tried to hug Virat Kohli. The man, in red shorts, had a white t-shirt saying ‘Stop Bombing Palestine’ in front and ‘Free Palestine’ at the back.
He also had a face mask in the colors of Palestine. The man carried a rainbow flag as well. Security caught him, and he was taken to the Chandkheda Police station. The pitch invasion briefly stopped the game, but after the security handled the situation, the match resumed. The intruder identified himself as Johnson Wayne from Australia. He states he entered the field to meet Virat Kohli and protested against the war in Palestine. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera was full as cricket fans gathered for the India vs Australia World Cup finals.
Reactions
He was quickly apprehended by security personnel and taken away from the stadium. Wayne’s actions sparked a debate on social media. With some people supporting his message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and others condemning his disruption of the match. The incident also highlighted the challenges of balancing the freedom of expression with the need to maintain security at major sporting events.
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The support came not only from Pakistani spectators. But India fans of the game also appreciated the shocking but commendable action of this protestor. One user wrote, “I don’t appreciate pitch invaders but ‘Stop Bombing Palestine’ is an intervention I’ll allow”.
Wayne’s protest was not the first time that a political statement had been made at a sporting event. In recent years, there have been a number of incidents of athletes and spectators using their platforms to speak out on issues such as racial injustice, gender equality, and climate change.