Protestors project message for Trump at college football championship
UPDATE: Jan. 10, 2018, 1:28 p.m. EST This article originally stated, based on a report from Newsweek, that a group named ResistNow was responsible for the projections. The protest was actually made by the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
While much of the conversation on Monday night was about the overtime thriller that saw Alabama claim yet another national college football title (ugh), there were still murmurs of protests directed at Donald Trump.
While tens of thousands of fans filed into Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta for the title game, several groups of protesters, including a local chapter of the NAACP, gathered to protest Trump's drop-by .
One particular group -- Newsweek reported it was "ResistNow" based off tweets from a user of the same name -- let their feelings be known by the hottest protest method around: giant projections on the side of a building. [Update: the group that projected the messages was actually the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.]
This time, the projections from some of the protesters included "No one is illegal" and the concise "Fuck Trump."
It was part of a weird night for Trump, which got off to a rocky start when fans outside the stadium were left wet and perturbed, stuck in the rain while security measures for the president's visit kept them from being allowed inside the stadium.
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Once past the wet fans and angry protesters, Trump made an appearance on the field for pregame ceremonies, including the national anthem, welcomed by loud cheers underscored with some lustful booing.
While some of the booing was surely related to politics and the long wait fans endured outside, it's worth noting that many Atlanta residents haven't forgotten the disparaging words Trump lobbed at the city from behind his Twitter account just a year ago as part of his spat with Rep. John Lewis, whose district includes a large chunk of Atlanta.
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When Trump seemed to mumble his way through part of the song, Twitter exploded with speculation over whether or not he knew the words. Without audio, though, it's hard to tell if there's any truth to the conspiracy or if the president just put forth a half-hearted effort.
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It wasn't just fans, though. At least one of the players involved in the game made a pretty vocal proclamation against Trump. As the Alabama team got ready to take the field, star running back Bo Scarbrough was caught yelling "Fuck Trump!" loudly.
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In the end, Trump left at halftime of the game, which is a shame.
After a slow, offense-light first half which saw Georgia take a 13-0 lead, Alabama staged an impressive comeback, pushing the game into overtime where they clinched the title on an exciting 41-yard touchdown pass from a freshman quarterback who was only brought in during the second half.
And Trump missed all the excitement (he does have a schedule to keep, after all).
Sad!
Topics Donald Trump Politics
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
