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.
“Upon arrival, it was reported to police that an unidentified male was observed with a firearm. An individual was taken into custody. There were no shots fired or injuries reported. There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing,” the New York Police Department (NYPD) told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
While officials took the suspect into custody, the NYPD has not confirmed his motives. According to The New York Times, the gunman told the audience he planned to harm himself in protest of Wikipedia’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on pedophiles.
“Wikipedia regards the safety of children using the site as a key issue. Wikipedia does not tolerate inappropriate adult–child relationships,” the rule states.
Following the incident, Wikipedia canceled the remaining Friday events “due to unforeseen circumstances” but noted the conference is expected to continue Saturday. In a statement to NBC News, Wikipedia said participants are safe and thanked those who stepped in to help.
“The rest of today’s program is cancelled, and there will be additional security as well as law enforcement onsite for the remainder of the event,” the statement to NBC News said.
Wikipedia declined to confirm whether the armed man had any affiliation with the company, according to NBC News.
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