Watch: Portland crowd boos as US Armed Forces enlistees pledge to obey the president in their oath

A swearing-in ceremony for a group of U.S. Armed Forces enlistees during a Portland soccer match was interrupted by boos from the crowd on Sept. 11, after the soon-to-be service members pledged to "obey the orders of the president of the United States."


What are the details?

The ceremony was held during the half-time break at a National Women's Soccer League match between the Portland Thorns and the North Carolina Courage. According to The Oregonian, "the event was scheduled ahead of the 2019 season when the club discovered it would be playing on Sept. 11."

The crowd of 17,000 or so initially cheered on the enlistees, but the stadium rang out in loud boos after the recruits vowed their allegiance to President Donald Trump.




According to the Daily Mail, "some fans slammed the league for allowing the military swearing-in to take place at the game given the fan code of conduct bans political signage at matches."

Fox News reported that "the boos come as Major League Soccer came under fire for banning political banners in its club's stadiums." The men's league recently moved to ban political displays, causing backlash from fans.

The women's league has no such ban, but the Portland Thorns issued a statement in August saying they would comply with the same rules as their partner club, the Portland Timbers.

"All of our operational staff for Providence Park games are the same," the club said. "Having different rules for different teams creates confusion among staff and for fans alike. We also believe that what is allowed, for those wishing to trumpet opposition to fascism at MLS games, is also a fair and reasonable approach for Thorns and T2 games."
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