US Vice President JD Vance was booed during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan on Friday.
Thousands of fans crammed into the historic San Siro made their feelings abundantly clear after the camera panned to Mr Vance as Team USA strolled through the stadium.
The Vice President has been joined by his wife Usha, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents on his trip to Europe.
The presence of Ice in Italy has prompted protests in the streets of Milan, with placards such as “Ice out” and “We don’t want Ice in our city!” on display.
Milan’s mayor Giuseppe Sala said that Ice agents are not welcome, while Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told Parliament only operatives from Ice’s Homeland Security Investigations division would be in Milan.
Winter Olympics chiefs had been forced to issue an urgent plea to fans amid the presence of the Vice President.
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry previously told The Daily Beast: “I hope that the opening ceremony is seen by everyone as an opportunity to be respectful of each other.
“No one is asking what country they come from or what religion. They are all just hanging out.
US Vice President JD Vance was booed during the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan on Friday
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“It was a real opportunity to put into perspective how we could all be. And so, for me, I hope that the opening ceremony will do that and will be a reminder for everyone how we could be.”
But even athletes have been vocal in their protests. When asked earlier in the week what it means to wear the Team USA kit and the American flag, freestyle skier Hunter Hess said: “It’s a little hard. There’s obviously a lot going on that I’m not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of people aren’t.
“Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the US.”
Additionally, Team GB freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy shared a provocative photograph appearing to show an expletive-laden message about US immigration enforcement urinated into snow.
Gus Kenworthy posted a picture of his message in the snow | INSTAGRAMThe skier, who will face no punishment for his protest, posted an image depicting the words “f*** ICE” scrawled in snow.
“My last post was pee so it only felt appropriate to follow it up with a lil’ dump… of photos from January. Yes, I’m a child,” he told his 1.2 million followers.
He previously said in an interview: “I’ve been waiting to say this in any interview but just f*** ICE so hard right now. F*** ICE.”
Team GB are said to be unconcerned by his comments, despite Rule 50 of the Olympic charter stating: “No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”
Protested were out in their thousands over the arrival of Ice agents in Italy
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There were also protests last Saturday in Piazza XXV Aprile in Milan, a square named after the date of Italy’s liberation from Nazi fascism in 1945.
The opposition to Ice comes after two individuals were shot dead by Donald Trump’s immigration agency in January.
Renee Nicole Good, 37, was killed when she tried to “weaponise” her vehicle and attempted to run over an officer in her car on January 7.
Just two weeks later, Alex Pretti, 37, was killed just after 9am, sparking major riots across the city that saw agents firing tear gas and pepper spray at protestors.
