A rally in support of Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving’s decision to go unvaccinated escalated Sunday afternoon, when protesters attempted to storm the barricades surrounding the Barclays Center. The protest outside the stadium began around 2 p.m., ahead of a 4 p.m. tipoff. Ralliers milled around restlessly, chanting and holding signs with slogans like “No Vaccine Mandate,” “Let Kyrie Play,” and “Stand With Kyrie.”
Half an hour before the game’s start time, several protesters broke past the barricades and rushed the stadium. Security personnel closed doors and locked the building down, briefly preventing anyone from entering. Barclays Center reopened to patrons with tickets shortly afterward, and the game went on as scheduled.
Earlier this month, the Nets announced that Irving would be banned from the team until he got his jabs, in accordance with the citywide vaccine mandate. A few days after the news broke, Irving took to Instagram Live to defend his beliefs, saying, “It’s not always about the money. It’s about choosing what’s best for you.”
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