Raptors fan told to remove ‘hostages’ sweatshirt
MLSE policy forbids political messaging
Fans at a Raptors game in Toronto on Thursday night were asked to remove a hooded sweatshirt with the slogan “Free Our Hostages” and featuring a Jewish star.
“A female security guard came up and said, ‘You’re gonna have to stay here until a manager comes to speak to you,’ ” Leora Shemesh, one of the fans, told National Post.
“I knew then what we were about to deal with.”
Shemesh, a criminal lawyer who was dressed for court proceedings earlier in the day, attended the game at Scotiabank Arena alongside fellow lawyer, Gary Grill, who was wearing the sweater when a Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) security guard instructed the two to stay put.
When a supervisor arrived, Shemesh and Grill were notified of an “MLSE policy” prohibiting “any attire that displays a political message,” said Shemesh, who is a Raptors season ticket holder. “I’m thinking to myself, ‘You gotta be kidding.’ ”
Shemesh, who wears dog tags to honour Israelis still held captive in Gaza, asked whether they would need to remove any jewelry. “No, just the sweatshirt has to go,” the MLSE official reportedly told Shemesh.
She had handed out the sweatshirts to friends to raise awareness of the more than 200 Israeli civilians taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7. Israel says more than 100 are still in captivity.
While she acknowledges she is “far more outspoken than Gary,” Shemesh said Grill “loves the sweatshirt and loves the message. He thought that it was really not a political statement.”
Stadium security offered Grill a Raptors jersey to replace the sweatshirt, but he refused to change. The two voluntarily left the game shortly after. “We were given the option. We were told what to do. We left peacefully. It was all very calm and peaceful, but we were flabbergasted,” Shemesh said.
“We were thinking about all the things that have happened; Black Lives Matter (BLM); the woman who sang for the (NHL) all-star game who was wearing a keffiyeh: they didn’t ask her to take it off,” she continued, referring to Kiana Ledé’s recent performance at Scotiabank Arena. “If I put, ‘Hostages Lives Matter,’ is that not the same?”
MLSE responded to the Post’s request for comment by pointing to the Fan Code of Conduct, which “states that fans have a right to expect an environment where they can enjoy the event experience free from, among other things, political or inciting messages.”
“With fan security in mind, it has been a long-standing policy at MLSE venues that signs or clothing bearing political messages are not permitted and this policy is implemented fairly and consistently to protect the experience of all fans,” spokesman Dave Haggith said. "In this instance, the fan in question was offered a number of options to comply with this policy, which they refused and chose to leave the venue on their own accord.”
Standwithus Canada, an organization that raises awareness about antisemitism, said they were “shocked” MLSE “would silence peaceful voices advocating for the safe return of innocent civilians being held hostage by a terror group.”
“It’s astonishing to see a paying customer removed from an establishment for wearing a sweatshirt, while security at other establishments claim they’re unable to remove protesters calling for Intifada,” the group added in a statement posted on Instagram.
In December, two Palestinian-canadians were reportedly asked to remove their keffiyehs — symbolic Palestinian scarves — as well as a poster demanding “Free Palestine” during a Mariah Carey concert at the same venue.
In January, Avremi Zippel, a Utah rabbi, was told to remove a blue-and-white sign emblazoned with “I’m a Jew, and I’m proud,” after Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving complained about it.
“We complied; we obliged. All is good. All is calm,” Zippel said.
"IF I PUT, ‘HOSTAGES LIVES MATTER,’ IS THAT NOT THE SAME?