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(KTLA) – Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was detained at a city council meeting in California on Tuesday after delivering an impassioned speech criticizing the design of a plaque to be installed at the Huntington Beach Central Library.
Kluwe, an 8-year NFL veteran who played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings, took to the podium to voice his opposition to the plaque design, which is meant to celebrate the library’s 50th anniversary but has instead made headlines due to the inclusion of the acronym “MAGA,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
In his remarks, Kluwe said MAGA, and the ideology behind it, represented “profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy” values. He then voiced his intention to “engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience,” approaching the council with his arms behind his back as he awaited to be taken into custody.
Four police officers promptly arrested Kluwe, leading him away from the council chambers. It was not immediately clear what charges he faced.
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Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was detained at a Huntington Beach City Council meeting on Tuesday after delivering an impassioned speech criticizing the design of a plaque to be installed at the town’s Central Library. Feb. 18, 2025. (Huntington Beach City Council) -
Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe was detained at a Huntington Beach City Council meeting on Tuesday after delivering an impassioned speech criticizing the design of a plaque to be installed at the town’s Central Library. Feb. 18, 2025. (Huntington Beach City Council) -
Chris Kluwe, former NFL punter, speaks in opposition to a MAGA-inspired plaque design at Huntington Beach City Council meeting moments before being detained by police on Feb. 18, 2025.
Kluwe attended Los Alamitos High School and played collegiately at UCLA before signing with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent.
A 15-year resident of Huntington Beach, Kluwe has been outspoken on social and political issues since retiring from the NFL in 2013. He has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and has criticized the league’s handling of controversial topics.
The design of the library plaque, meanwhile, has been a point of contention among those in Huntington Beach, with many residents opposing the inclusion of the MAGA acronym.
The plaque celebrates the library’s 50 years as a “beacon of education, a catalyst for dreams, and a sanctuary for children to feel safe, valued, and free to grow.” Underneath these words, however, are the words Magical, Alluring, Galvanizing and Adventurous, arranged vertically with their first letters aligned.
The city council ultimately voted unanimously to approve the plaque, albeit with a slightly modified design and another line of text: “Through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again!“
The council also approved an additional $1,000 in funds for extra security purposes.
