Some Tower Bridge Battalion Members Silently Protest During Saturday's Sacramento Republic Match Over Club's Silence On Abortion Rights

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A group of Sacramento Republic FC fans held a silent protest during Saturday's match over the club's silence on reproductive rights.

Some members of The Tower Bridge Battalion set up their tailgate as usual on Saturday. Decked out in their old glory red, maple, and eggshell team colors, the group is known for their spirited support of the team. Before every game, they march in together, led by drums and chants for the team because it's what they do, never miss a game.

Saturday night, during the first half of the game against the Oakland Roots, some of the members of the Tower Bridge Battalion were only seen and not heard. The organization's board members agreed on a silent protest "as a result of our club's silence" on reproductive rights.

"When all of this started, just a simple statement, 'Hey, it's not great we're here for you,' or as a minimum of retweeting the league stance, would've been enough for me to be like, 'OK, my team's not the bad guys.' They didn't even make an attempt. That's what hurts," said Meghan Dendorfer, a Tower Bridge Battalion board member.

Dendorfer said this was her personal decision, to sit the first half of the match in silence because she wanted to feel like the Club was supportive of a cause, she said, is a human right.

"I hope it makes people think of how they fit into society, how decisions impact many people," said Dendorfer.

The members who participated made it clear: this is not about the players or coaches, but instead, silence from the front office.

"It's a strange departure for them, we wanted to let them know that we can also be silent," said Matteo Cascio, a Tower Bridge Battalion member.

A spokesperson for Sacramento Republic FC told CBS13 there was no comment.