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A small group of Mummers fought with onlookers over a Trump flag at the 2024 Parade

Some Froggy Carr members and onlookers de-escalated the exchange.

Members of Froggy Carr strut down Market street at the 2024 Mummers Parade.
Members of Froggy Carr strut down Market street at the 2024 Mummers Parade.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

At the 2024 Mummers Parade, alongside extravagant performances and delighted onlookers, a small scuffle broke out between marchers with the Froggy Carr Wench Brigade and a group of spectators over a Trump 2024 flag emblazoned with the words “Take America Back” that the marchers were carrying. Others in the hundreds-strong crowd of Froggy Carr marchers held American flags, Kermit puppets, and frog umbrellas aloft.

A marcher with Froggy Carr appeared to wave the Trump flag over a metal barricade into the crowd, according to a video circulating on social media. An onlooker grabbed the flag and then a cluster of Froggy Carr marchers, decked out in metallic gold shoes and American flag pantaloons, began to tussle with the spectators on the sidewalk.

“Yeah bro! Yeah! Yeah! F-- him up! F-- him up!” a Froggy Carr marcher shouted before muttering, “He started it.” The small group then started up their classic chant: “Who dat? Who dat? Who dat Froggy Carr?”

“Over a Trump flag!” an onlooker said in the video.

Some Froggy Carr members and onlookers appeared to de-escalate the exchange, blocking those involved from continuing to fight. It was over in about two minutes, before being posted to TikTok by an account featuring a man wearing a Make America Great Again hat with the hashtags “#trumpindictment” and “#patriots.”

A city spokesperson said the city “developed a code of conduct for participants that made nuisance behavior unacceptable” after the 2020 parade. Parks & Rec is currently “investigating the incident and working with Mummers leadership.” A police spokeswoman said no reports were made about the scuffle.

Froggy Carr, founded in the early 1970s, was disqualified from the 2020 Mummers parade after two members wore blackface. They have a reputation for being rowdy. One year members protested mid-parade because their captain was arrested defending their beer stash. In 2020, a Froggy Carr enthusiast distributed 300 “lost and/or drunk” pins for marchers who veered off course. (“If LOST and/or DRUNK PLEASE CALL TOLL FREE 844-WHO-DATT.”)

The Mummers are trying to rebuild their brand and steer clear of the controversies over racist and offensive behavior that have plagued the parade in recent years. The 2024 event largely went smoothly, packed with zany costumes, new and veteran performers, and general New Year exuberance.

After the Trump flag scuffle, Froggy Carr marchers wielding pale blue umbrellas appeared to rejoin the parade.

“Happy New Year,” an onlooker said placatingly. “Happy New Year.”

This story was updated with comment from the city.