Two protesters dressed as white people met brutal resistance at a NASCAR race in Chicago on Sunday after chaining themselves to a fence and attempting to raise a pro-Palestine flag.
But a car racing fan quickly moved in to stop them, and footage shows him on the fence battling for control of the flag with one of the protesters.
In the video posted on Tik TokA police officer appeared to be on hand to make sure things didn’t get any more violent as the crowd chanted in support of their fellow race car enthusiast.
The banner read “Bombs for Gaza, Prisons for Illinois,” a double reference to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and Gov. JB Pritzker’s $900 million plan to demolish and rebuild two state prisons.
Protesters are seen at the fence with the flag that was later snatched from their hands.
The man in the blue sweatshirt is seen snatching the flag from one of the protesters.
The NASCAR fan emerged victorious in the end, using his entire body weight to knock the flag out of the man’s hands.
He fell several feet to the ground, but quickly got up and threw the crumpled piece of cloth to the two men still on the fence as he walked away.
The crowd was heard laughing, whistling and shouting at the protesters throughout the confrontation.
When one of the protesters appeared to check a bruise or some kind of injury on his leg, one person mockingly shouted, “Oh, did you hurt yourself?”
This NASCAR race was held in the heart of Chicago in Grant Park and was supposed to start at 4:30 p.m.
However, a rain delay gave protesters more time to execute their plan.
The two men reportedly scaled the fence and took up residence at around 3:30 p.m.
The fight between men is seen from the perspective of the fanatics.
Police scaled the fence about 40 minutes after the protesters chained themselves to it and arrested them on suspicion of trespassing.
They also waved a flag much more directed at Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, accusing him of complicity in the “genocide” of Palestinians by Israeli forces.
Forty minutes later, Chicago police arrested them on suspicion of trespassing.
The same NASCAR attendant who recorded the video of the man stealing their flag also captured the moment the two protesters were separated from the fence and taken into custody.
The crowd again erupted in cheers and began clapping as officers scaled the fence and released them with bolt cutters.
Viewers of both viral TikToks were baffled by where these men chose to protest, with many saying they picked the “wrong people” to pick on.
Social media posts from the group the men were affiliated with said they were released Monday morning after being arrested.
It is unclear whether they were charged with any crimes in connection with this incident.
Spectators watch the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race at the Chicago Street Course
Drivers take the stage before the start of the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series race in Chicago
Protest organizers also condemned Israeli NASCAR driver Alon Day, who was present at the race.
His car was severely damaged in a collision during pre-race testing, which ruled him out of the event.
Day’s original plan was to run in honor of Israeli hostages and soldiers, but his damaged car was still adorned with the Israeli flag and other Hebrew iconography. Newsweek Magazine reported.
“The pro-Hamas protests in the streets, especially in the streets of Chicago, are getting really dangerous,” Day told FOX News.
“I was there a couple of days, about a week ago, and I felt the need to check that I wasn’t wearing anything that would identify me as Jewish. I mean, that’s how bad it is. It sounds like Germany in the 1930s, when I needed to hide my Jewishness.”