Man wearing MAGA hat to vigil for New Zealand mosque victims gets stared down

Lauren Holter
A man wore a MAGA hat to a vigil for New Zealand victims and was calmly confronted by another attendee. (Photo: Twitter/@jasminewablob)
A man wore a MAGA hat to a vigil for New Zealand victims and was calmly confronted by another attendee. (Photo: Twitter/@jasminewablob)

When a man showed up wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat to a student vigil for the victims of the terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, this week, others attending the event weren’t having it. A video posted to Twitter shows a tense standoff between the Trump supporter and another man who stood directly in front of him as a speaker talked about white supremacy “tearing the world apart.”

The Monday vigil was organized by the Muslim Student Association at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“It’s horrifying and deeply saddening to see such acts fueled from hatred continue to happen and provide yet another example of how Islamophobia still runs rampant in our world,” a Facebook page for the event reads. “To honor the lives that were lost and stand in solidarity with the affected families, join us at a vigil in front of Storke Tower.”

The gunman, who took 50 lives at two Mosques in Christchurch on Friday, wrote in a manifesto that President Donal Trump is “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose,” according to the Associated Press. Because of his professed adoration of Trump, a hat featuring POTUS’s most popular slogan seemingly faced immediate opposition at the UCSB student vigil.

“@ the guy with a MAGA hat at UCSB’s vigil for the victims of the terorrist [sic] attack in New Zealand…. i hope you rot,” @jasminewablob tweeted.

The man who confronted the MAGA hat wearer appeared to just stand in front of him and stare.

As this was happening, an African history and history of Islam professor Butch Ware was telling the crowd, “We will not stand idly by as racism and white supremacy tears this country and tears this world apart,” The Daily Mail reports.

A similar incident took place the same day at a vigil at York University in Toronto. The man who showed up to that event in a MAGA hat was reportedly yelled at and told to leave.

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