Auckland teacher wore MAGA hat to Black Lives Matter march

Tuesday, 2 June 2020

Thousands of protesters marched in Auckland on June 1 in solidarity after the death of African American George Floyd while in police custody.

An Auckland school is responding to complaints after one of its teachers wore a 'Make America Great Again' hat to Auckland's Black Lives Matter protest and posted a video on Facebook defending his actions.

The man, a teacher at Manukau Christian School, was one of thousands at the protest on Monday, which was organised in response to the death of George Floyd and in solidarity with a wave of protests across the US.

After the march, he posted an eight-minute video defending his decision to wear the hat, featuring the campaign slogan of US President Donald Trump, and documenting his interactions with protestors.

In less than 24 hours, the video attracted more than 4000 comments, with people on social media posting screenshots of the complaints they had sent to the school.

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Avii, a protestor at the march, talks to the teacher as he films her.

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In a statement to Stuff, principal of Manukau Christian School Pete Slaney said the matter was being 'handled internally'.

Protesters gathered in Queen St where most tried to keep their physical distance.

'We are a multi-cultural Christian School. We do not condone racism in any form.'

The MAGA hat has been used as a symbol by some far-right movements in the US. New National leader Todd Muller recently came under criticism for having a MAGA hat on display in his office - though he said it was a political souvenir, not a political statement.

In the video, protestors can be heard telling the teacher to take the hat off because it is a controversial symbol. “It’s antagonising because it stands for racism,' one says.

In the video, the teacher says the hat 'is not a sign of racism, I wasn’t wearing it to incite racism.'

Thousands gathered in Auckland's Aotea Square to voice their disgust at the murder of George Floyd.

He can also be heard saying 'I hate racism' and that “we’re just trying to represent a diverse range of opinions.'

Another protestor calls on him to take the hat off, saying: “You came here to make people angry. Take the hat down.”

One protester - Avii, whose last name Stuff has agreed not to use - asked him to explain what the idea behind the MAGA hat was.

'All he did was agree with what we were protesting […] It was never an answer to 'Why are you wearing a MAGA cap?'.

'I felt as though there was no answer, he just wanted to antagonise people.'

He told her he agreed that the police officer who killed George Floyd is guilty of murder, she said.

Avii said the man's interactions with protestors lasted about 10 to 15 minutes, with efforts from marshals and bystanders to calm the situation.

People were getting riled up, she said. 'People are hurting, people are hurting real bad,' she said.

The teacher said in his online video that the hat was eventually stolen and set on fire.

Stuff has tried to reach the teacher for comment.