Protester Sets Himself on Fire in Middle of Tennis Match Just Hours before Roger Federer’s Last Match (video)
A protester set himself on fire while attempting to make a statement against private jets at The Laver Cup, hours before Roger Federer’s final match.
The Laver Cup match between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Diego Schwartzman was interrupted today, September 23, as a protester went on the court and set himself on fire.
The man was quickly dragged off the court unharmed and play resumed shortly thereafter.
According to spectators, the man brought a flare onto London’s The 02 Arena and used it to set his arm on fire before security was able to put the fire out.
One staff member took his blazer off and put it over the fire before stomping on it.
The protester was wearing a shirt that said “End UK private jets.”
The shirt also contained a web address leading to a site about climate inaction.
“Today, I entered the field because I can no longer take the risk of doing nothing in the face of the climate emergency,” the site reads, according to a screen-grab on Twitter.
The 20-year-old protestor, named Kai, is a member of the End UK Private Jets group, which claims that “carbon emissions in 2022 are genocide.”
This isn’t the first protest at a high-profile tennis event this year.
The French Open semifinal between Casper Ruud and Marin ?ili? was suspended when a woman ran onto the Roland Garros court and tied herself to the net with a shirt that read, “we have 1028 days left”.
Watch the video from today’s fiery protest below.
Idiot climate change protester sets himself on fire in front of stunned fans at Laver Cuppic.twitter.com/2RPsIKZfU6
— RPK Report (@RPKReport) September 23, 2022
