Austin FC fans challenge MLS policy on political speech

MLS’s policy on political speech is untenable, as Austin FC fans have shown. Daniela Silva was ejected from an Austin FC match against San Diego FC on 26 September for wearing a T-shirt reading “Abolish ICE”. The incident took place during the club’s Hispanic Heritage Night, which celebrated Hispanic culture with folk dances and a spotlight on local nonprofits serving the community.

Silva says she was then banned from Q2 Stadium for a year. Austin FC said the ban had been issued by the Austin Police Department, not the club, which offered to have it lifted. Silva declined, the club said.

The supporters’ response came at the club’s home game on Saturday: La Murga de Austin walked out to protest Silva’s ejection. Austin FC lost 4-1 to Nashville SC, described as the runaway league leaders, and much of the supporters’ section emptied. A banner reading “No ICE in this melting pot” was also taken down.

Los Verdes and La Murga de Austin, Austin FC supporters’ groups, issued a joint statement. “Opposition to ICE is not an abstract political debate for many of our members and neighbors,” they wrote. They also said members of their community had questioned whether they would feel safe and welcome returning to Q2, and called on the club to make that welcome clear. La Murga put its position this way: “We love this club. But love is not silent.”

The club cited Major League Soccer’s fan code of conduct. Among other things, it bars signs or images used for campaigning or advocating a position on a legislative issue or government action. Austin FC’s website still says that celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month means celebrating the cultures and communities that make up Austin. The league’s rules may have limited the club’s room to act; the club said it was engaging with supporters on the issue.

The dispute has precedent: in 2015, the league ordered “Refugees welcome” banners removed at Toronto FC matches. In Austin, the contrast between celebrating a community and ejecting a fan over an ICE-related message has again challenged the idea that sport and politics can be kept apart.