‘Non-Offending Pedophile’ With Rainbow Flag Threatens To Shoot Himself At Wikipedia Conference

A Wikipedia conference descended into chaos Friday after an Ohio man wearing an “anti-contact non-offending pedophile” flag jumped on stage with a gun before reportedly turning it on himself, according to multiple reports.

Friday morning in Manhattan, WikiConference North America 2025 kicked off at Civic Hall, but just as the opening ceremony began, an armed man stormed the stage, NBC News reported. The suspect, allegedly 27-year-old Connor Weston, reportedly held the gun while declaring, “I’m a non-contact pedophile. I want to kill myself,” according to the New York Post.

The man had been wearing a flag reading “anti-contact non-offending pedophile,” with colors similar to the “MAPs” flag, also known as “minor-attracted persons.” NBC News noted he also allegedly wore a MAPs flag on his back with the same message.

“People started yelling, ‘Get down, get down!’ and people started ducking behind their chairs,” journalism professor Bill Adair, who had been in attendance, told The New York Times.

A man, identified by The New York Times as Wikipedia contributor Richard Knipel, then rushed the stage, grabbing the gunman as fellow contributor Andrew Lih also stepped in to help.