A man was waving a Trump 2024 flag when he was tackled on video and removed from Wollman Rink, which is owned by former President Donald Trump. The man identified himself as Dion Cini.
The video shows staff attempting to remove Cini peacefully. He breaks free and knocks another person onto the ice before he is tackled.
Cini shared the video on Twitter, writing, “I was attacked at Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park, just for raising a Trump 2024 flag.”
You can watch the video here or below. It was supposed to be the last day Wollman Rink was open, but in a last-minute decision, Mayor Bill DeBlasio said he would keep the ice skating rink open for the remainer of the season.
Here’s what you need to know:
Cini Shared a Video on Twitter Which Showed Him Raising a ‘Trump 2024’ Flag at Wollman Park & Being Tackled After He Did Not Get Off the Ice
I was attacked at Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park, just for raising a Trump 2024 flag. @DonaldJTrumpJr @EricTrump @DanScavino @parscale @RealTina40 #Trump2024 #SaveAmerica
Cini shared the video of himself being removed by staff from the ice skating rink, even tagging former President Donald Trump’s sons Donald J. Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, White House Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Trump’s former campaign manager Brad Parscale and others.
The 2 minute, 19 second video opens with Cini extending a large “Trump 2024” flag at the edge of the ice skating rink. He is wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and a police flag bandana as a face covering, which is slipping under his mouth. He skates into the rink, quickly attracting the attention of security guard and the crowd with the large flag. The crowd begins booing, along with a few whistles.
Another man, who is wearing a red jacket that says “Staff”, skates backward in front of Cini, shaking his head and motioning for him to get off the ice. Another man wearing a red staff jacket joins the first, but Cini evades them.
Another man, who is not wearing a uniform, skates behind Cini and grabs the back of his hood, briefly knocking him off balance. Another person approaches Cini from the front, and Cini confronts the person, who falls onto the ice. Staff gather around Cini and talk to him before one of the staff members wrestles him to the ground to a cheering crowd.
“I brought the Trump 2024 flag to Trump Wollman rink because it was the last day of The Trump organization managing the rink, which they’ve done for the last 30 some years, and wanted to celebrate another Trump accomplishment while also starting a campaign push for 2024,” Cini told the Daily Dot. “As I was being attacked I heard people cheering as I was put into a chokehold, which shocked me because I thought they want unity and not watch their fellow Americans being [attacked] over a flag.”
He claimed he suffered injuries to his back, neck, jaw and knee. He further claimed he was already leaving the ice when he was tackled.
Wollman Park Was Scheduled to Close on the Day the Video Was Shot, With Mayor Bill DeBlasio Saying They Did Not Want to Support Trump
The party of unity !! People cheering as my friend @dioncini was attacked in Wollman Rink in Central Park for waving a Trump 2024 flag !!
Trump’s Central Park skating rinks were scheduled to be closed six weeks early, but Mayor Bill DeBlasio reversed his decision. Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink, which both have Trump ties, were scheduled to close at the end of the day Sunday, February 22, 2021. It was on Sunday that the encounter with Cini was recorded on video. DeBlasio had said the city would end its contract with Trump following the January 6, 2021 siege of the U.S. Capitol.
The Trump Organization called the decision “political stunt that only hurts New Yorkers,” according to PIX 11.
The mayor’s office later reversed the decision.
“New York City kids deserve all the time on the ice they can get this year,” mayoral spokesman Bill Neidhardt said Sunday night, according to PIX 11. “But make no mistake, we will not be doing business with the Trump Organization going forward. Inciting an insurrection will never be forgotten or forgiven.”
Another angle of the video shows Cini shouted “What are you doing?” and “Get the f*** off me!” at staff who were attempting to remove him from the rink. A man scoops up a little girl from over the ice rink’s barrier where she was caught near the location of the fight. Cini points aggressively at them while another person says “No violence” and a staff member calmly says “Let’s go.”
“The party of unity !!” RealTina40 wrote on Twitter. “People cheering as my friend @dioncini was attacked in Wollman Rink in Central Park for waving a Trump 2024 flag !!”