New England Patriots fans hold a jersey burning rally

Some fans in New England are so mad at the Patriots’ players kneeling in protest, they have held a jersey burning rally.

A man from Swansea, Massachusetts has organized a party during which fans will burn New England Patriots jerseys. This comes after over 200 NFL players from different teams protested following Donald Trump’s divisive comments on the matter.

Matt Shane, the man behind the burning told ABC his motivations for the counter-protest.

"“We do not want the national anthem used as a political football … I don’t want to hear anything about Donald Trump. I don’t want to hear anything about Democrats, I don’t want to hear anything about Republicans. The one thing that unites us is country and national anthem.”"

According to CBS, over 100 people showed up to the event. The Swansea Town Administrator John McAuliffe told NECN that Shane does not have a permit for the event.

"“We don’t have a permit process for that type of demonstration. I think it is an issue if he is going to light things on fire, something the Fire Chief will likely be looking into to make it safe for all,”"

According to NBC, fans only burned a few jerseys at the event. Shane told reporters that he will send the rest of the jerseys that fans no longer want to Puerto Rico in wake of their recent hurricane disaster.

This comes as a massive response to players protesting during the national anthem. Other teams’ fans are burning jerseys as well. Alejandro Villanueva, the only visible Pittsburgh Steelers player during the anthem, has seen his jersey sales skyrocket.

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Obviously, this is a hot-button topic. People on all sides feel very passionate about the anthem protests. This is very clear in both internet comments and real-life reactions to protests.