An angry woman tossed her drink on two men who kneeled during the national anthem at a Los Angeles Lakers game Wednesday.
California Baptist University student Haley Perea yelled at two men who were seated.
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“Excuse me, this is for the national anthem you pieces of s—t,” she said, according to video of the incident. She then threw her drink on them.
Classmate Savannah Sugg posted the video she recorded of the scuffle to Twitter, writing, ” ‘Take a kneel for the land of the slaves.’ Disrespect our flag and our country and that’s how we’ll react.”
The men are seen turning around and the women begin walking away as the video cuts off, so it is unclear whether they confronted them.
The video, as well as both women’s social media accounts, have since been deleted following the uproar that followed. Screenshots of Perea’s former Twitter account show she has used racist language online, the Daily Mail reports.
Before the tweet and accounts were deleted, commenters lit up the women and video with strong messages.
“Since when is assaulting strangers patriotic?” one user wrote. “Those women are thugs and need to be arrested.”
Others have called for Perea and Sugg to be removed from their university and fired from their jobs for their behavior.
California Baptist University issued a statement Sunday evening regarding the incident involving two of its students.
“While this was not an event affiliated with California Baptist University, two current CBU students were involved,” a university spokesperson wrote. “On Thursday morning, October 5, 2017, CBU learned of this incident and initiated an investigation and plans to take appropriate action. CBU does not condone or support the behavior depicted in the recording of the incident. CBU takes this matter very seriously and is cooperating with law enforcement and arena management.”
The men in the video were following the lead of former San Francisco 49ers football player Colin Kaepernick, who sat or kneeling during the national anthem as an expression of peaceful protest against police brutality last season.
This season, the protest has continued with dozens of NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem before the game. Some professional athletes from other sports have joined in as well.
While the form of protest has gained support and attention, it has been met with stark criticism, too.
President Trump has criticized the athletes who haven’t stood for the anthem, calling them “sons of b—–s” and calling for the NFL and other pro organizations to fire anyone who refused to stand during the song.
On Sunday, Vice President Mike Pence left the Indianapolis Colts vs. San Francisco 49ers game after players linked arms and others knelt during the playing of the anthem, which was not aired on television.
I stand with @POTUS Trump, I stand with our soldiers, and I will always stand for our Flag and our National Anthem. pic.twitter.com/B0zP5M41MQ
— Vice President Pence (@VP) October 8, 2017
After exiting the event, Pence tweeted, “I left today’s Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem.”
“While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I don’t think it’s too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem,” he continued.
President Trump tweeted his support of Pence and his wife, adding that he instructed the vice president to leave if all players were not standing during the anthem.
“I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country. I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen,” he wrote.
