Fake Boston Antifa Group Took Credit For Fenway Racist Banner

BOSTON, MA — A prankster duo hoodwinked the internet Thursday, posing as Boston Antifa and taking credit for a controversial sign draped over the Green Monster during the fourth inning of the Red Sox-Athletics game Wednesday night.

The sign read, in white all-capital letters on a black background, "Racism is as American as baseball." Local and sports-related media outlets – including Patch – picked up the Antifa angle Thursday, citing a lengthy statement from the "Boston Antifa" Twitter account explaining the blunt public display.

But "Boston Antifa" is actually a parody account run by two men who play satirical versions of Antifa members named "Dustin" and "Quinn," according to MassLive.

"Honestly, we don't see redemption for Baseball in any future," the statement read in part. "Minorities barely seem involved. POC players don't make it into double digit percentages in the MLB. LGBTQIA++ is completely absent."

For their part, the actual protesters denied any association wit Antifa in an interview with CSNNE.com.

As images of the sign — held up by three of a group of five that were there to promote it — made its way across social media, reaction started pouring in. The sign was unfurled between innings as an Army veteran was being honored during Fenway's "Hats Off To Heroes" recognition.

The protesters holding the signs were ejected by ballpark security. The protesters appeared to be young white people. Subscribe to Boston Patch for more Hub news and real-time alerts.

The Red Sox released a statement while the game was still in progress:

"During the the 4th inning of tonight's game, four fans unfurled a banner on the left field wall in violation of the club's policy prohibiting signs of any kind to be hung or affixed to the ballpark. The individuals involved were escorted out of Fenway Park."

It was not immediately clear if the purpose of the sign was to promote racism or denounce it until Antifa Boston's Twitter account took credit. The protesters could face a lifetime ban from the stadium for the disruption, according to Sports Illustrated legal analyst and UNH professor Michael McCann.

"I don't know what they mean, there are at least two interpretations," McCann told Patch via Twitter. "It's the disruption, I think, that will lead to a penalty."

It didn't go unnoticed by the players.

"Yeah, I saw it," Boston right fielder Mookie Betts said, according to The Associated Press. "There's no place for that. That's for another day, though."

"Saw it was draped over the Monster," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "From the dugout, you see someone expressing their opinion, and it looked like it was withdrawn relatively quick."

The online reaction, predictably, has been split. Some are having some fun with a serious issue:

Some see the fact that the sign has caused so much commotion to be indicative of a larger problem:

It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox offer anything more than a condemnation.

Principal owner John Henry has recently said he is "haunted" by the team's racist past, which is tied in large part to former influential and longtime owner Tom Yawkey. Henry is hoping to change the street name Yawkey Way, which Fenway Park resides on.

Under Yawkey's watch, the Red Sox were the last team to integrate when Pumpsie Green suited up for Boston. The year was 1959, a full 12 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.

Just last year, Baltimore star Adam Jones said he was racially abused by fans at Fenway Park. The next night, a fan was banned for life for allegedly making a racist comment about a black woman singing before the game.