Watch: Police footage shows how pro-Palestine protestor evaded World Cup final security
Watch: Footage from Ahmedabad police shows how a pro-Palestine protestor evaded security personnel to invade the pitch during the World Cup final between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19.
The incident occurred during India’s batting innings, just before the first drinks interval. The protestor, who was later identified as an Australian citizen, escaped security personnel around the boundary and came running towards Virat Kohli on the pitch.
He was finally caught by security and escorted away, before being arrested by the Ahmedabad police.
Ahmedabad crime branch later released footage of how the protestor, Wen Johnson, evaded several security personnel around the boundary line to get inside the playing area.
The footage shows Johnson running down the stairs from a stand and jumping over the high fencing between the stands and the ground. He then dodges close to ten people before tripping over the electronic boards outside the boundary line and running straight towards the pitch.
Ahmedabad crime branch shares how Australian national Wen Johnson breached the security and invaded the pitch during Ind-Aus world cup final match, wearing t-shirt with pro-Palestine messages. The final between India and Australia was interrupted briefly #INDvsAUS @DeccanHerald pic.twitter.com/z2oyLp6jiY
— satish jha. (@satishjha) November 20, 2023
The Joint Commissioner (Crime) of Ahmedabad City police, Neeraj Badgujar, said that Johnson, who is a TikToker, is a serial offender at sporting events, having also breached security in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sydney earlier this year.
Badgujar told media a day after the final (November 20), “We got to know that he has an Australian passport, his mother is of Filipino origin and his father is Chinese. He is a science graduate there (Sydney) and works in a solar panel installation company. He spends money on his videos… (invading) different matches to get popular on social media.”
Subscribe to the Wisden Cricket YouTube channel for post-match analysis, player interviews, and much more.
