A man who caused panic at a Baltimore theater by shouting “Heil Hitler!” and “Heil Trump!” during a showing of “Fiddler on the Roof” has apologized, explaining that the outburst was his ill-conceived attempt to protest President Trump’s immigration policies. 
 
 “I was trying to compare Trump to Hitler because he plays into the fears of the people, and, and, and it just came out wrong,” Anthony Derlunas II told WBAL-TV from his front porch, where several reporters tracked him down Friday — two days after police removed him from his balcony seat at the Hippodrome Theatre. 
 
 “I realize now that it was so hurtful in how it came out anti-Semitic,” Derlunas said in a shaky voice. “I have no hate in me.” 
 
 Derlunas told the Baltimore Sun he drank several glasses of wine before the musical, which tells the story of a Jewish family persecuted for their faith in imperial tsarist Russia and opened at the Hippodrome two weeks after a gunman killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue. 
 
 “That didn’t help my thinking one bit,” Derlunas said. 
 
 [‘They showed his photo, and my stomach just dropped’: Neighbors recall synagogue massacre suspect as a loner] 
 
 The 58-year-old said the first act’s final scene — in which an anti-Semitic pogrom disrupts a Jewish wedding — reminded him of Trump’s immigration policies, which call for mass deportations and a wall along the U.S. southern border. 
 
 So during the intermission, with the wine still infusing his logic, Derlunas stood up from his seat in the balcony to make a performance of his own. 
 
 “I meant to put it in that light of a dictatorship and no compassion and mercy,” he told WJZ. 
 
 What happened instead became the subject of a brief police investigation and viral videos. Derlunas allegedly shouted, “Heil Hitler!” and “Heil Trump!” and made a Nazi salute from his seat as people jumped from theirs and ran for the exits — some expecting another massacre to follow the shouts. 
 
 “The next thing I expected to hear was gunshots, frankly,” said Rich Scherr, who filmed the commotion from below as Derlunas’s balcony neighbors appeared to confront him. 
 
 Derlunas said he realized his error immediately. “Instantly it was like, ‘Oh my God, what did you do?' ” he told the Sun. 
 
 Security personnel escorted him and his girlfriend out of the theater. At least one frightened patron had called 911, and an officer arrived at the lobby shortly before 10 p.m. to interview Derlunas. 
 
 “It appeared to this officer based on my interview of Mr. Derlunas that his intention was to express his dislike of Donald Trump,” the officer wrote in his report. He had no criminal history and so was released from the Hippodrome — with lifetime ban from returning. 
 
 "I would ban me too if I was in their position,” Derlunas told the Sun on Friday, after the Anti-Defamation League demanded his prosecution for what the group called an “anti-Semitic outburst.” 
 
 In his doorstep interviews, Derlunas tried to convince any skeptics that espousing bigotry has been the opposite of his intent. 
 
 “The thing that I can’t stand is Trump spreading hatred, and what did I do? I spread hatred,” he told the Sun. 
 
 “I’m torn apart, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep,” he told WJZ. “I’m so disgusted and upset with myself for doing what I did.” 
 
 He’s been trying to make amends. Derlunas’s listed phone number was not accepting incoming calls over the weekend. The Sun reported that he had phoned the theater and the Baltimore Jewish Council to apologize and was trying to reach local rabbis to do the same. 
 
 Read more: 
 
 A man shouted ‘Heil Hitler’ and ‘Heil Trump’ during ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ — and people fled 
 
 A father who ‘loves history’ donned a Nazi uniform for Halloween — and dressed his 5-year-old as Hitler 
 
 Apparent Nazi salute at prom investigated by Wisconsin school district ||||| The man who shouted “Heil Hitler, heil Trump” at a Baltimore performance of “Fiddler on the Roof” apologized Friday for his outburst, saying he chose the wrong words when he was attempting to compare President Donald Trump to the Nazi leader. 
 
 Anthony M. Derlunas II, 58, said the play, which tells the story of a Jewish family facing persecution in tsarist Russia, reminded him of Trump’s immigration policies. His comparison “came out wrong” and was “beyond a mistake” he said during an interview at his home in Joppa. 
 
 “Instantly it was like, ‘Oh my God, what did you do?’ ” said Derlunas, who acknowledged he had been drinking heavily before the show. “The thing that I can’t stand is Trump spreading hatred, and what did I do? I spread hatred.” 
 
 Derlunas’ outburst came during the intermission of the show at the Hippodrome Theatre on Wednesday evening. He was escorted from the theater’s balcony by security, and police issued him a stop ticket — less serious than a citation. 
 
 Police spokesman Matt Jablow said his words were protected by the First Amendment. 
 
 Why an anti-Semitic outburst at 'Fiddler on the Roof' is particularly notable » 
 
 Audience members said they at first feared Derlunas’ shouting was the start of a more violent event. 
 
 “People started running,” audience member Richard Scherr said. “I’ll be honest, I was waiting to hear a gunshot. I thought, ‘Here we go.’ ” 
 
 Scherr said it was hard to focus on the play afterward. 
 
 “My heart was just racing,” he said. “I didn’t even really pay attention to the second act.” 
 
 Derlunas’ actions earned swift condemnation from the public — particularly the Jewish community. 
 
 On Friday, the Anti-Defamation League urged the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office to press charges against Derlunas. 
 
 “For those in attendance, this anti-Semitic outburst was a threatening, intimidating act of disorderly conduct. We have seen the devastating and tragic consequences of hateful rhetoric repeatedly in recent weeks,” Doron F. Ezickson, ADL’s Washington, D.C., regional director, said in a statement. “While the perpetrator’s comments themselves may constitute protected speech under the First Amendment, his conduct disturbed the peace and stoked fear among audience members, undermining their sense of safety and security during the performance.” 
 
 The state’s attorney’s office could not be reached for comment Friday. 
 
 Howard Libit, executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, said Thursday that the outburst was especially disturbing in the wake of a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that killed 11. 
 
 “We’re all very sensitive and concerned in the wake of the recent shootings,” Libit said. “Shouting that seems to be the equivalent of shouting ‘fire’ in a theater, or shouting ‘bomb.’” 
 
 How I could have been so stupid and insensitive I don't know. — Anthony M. Derlunas II, who yelled "Heil Hitler, heil Trump" at a "Fiddler on the Roof" performance 
 
 Derlunas said he understands the reaction. 
 
 “I shouldn’t have taken my political frustrations out at a public show,” he said. “How I could have been so stupid and insensitive, I don’t know.” 
 
 “I was so insensitive. But I am not a racist, I am not anti-Semitic,” he said. “I feel so sorry for the fear and the people’s night that I ruined. I just wasn’t thinking at the time.” 
 
 Derlunas said he had consumed several glasses of wine at his hotel prior to attending the show, which contributed to his outburst. 
 
 “Any time you drink you lose all sense of reasoning,” he said, adding he rarely consumes alcohol. “That didn’t help my thinking one bit.” 
 
 Since the outburst, Derlunas said “the hate coming back has been unbelievable” and affected his family. His son, who lives in Kansas and shares his name, has received death threats, he said. 
 
 Derlunas said he apologized to the Hippodrome, and is working to reach local rabbis to apologize to the Jewish community. 
 
 “My heart goes out to them for what they’ve been through,” he said. “I’m all for love and inclusion. I’m not a person that has any hate in my body.” 
 
 Libit said Derlunas called the Baltimore Jewish Council to apologize, too. 
 
 ”When things like this happen hopefully there’s an opportunity for us to sit down when things calm down a bit and talk and see who we can educate,” Libit said. “If there’s any way for us to use this as a moment of education I think we should.“ 
 
 Derlunas said he had previously attended other Hippodrome shows. The theater banned him from returning to the venue for life after Wednesday. 
 
 “I would ban me too if I was in their position,” he said. 
 
 A spokesperson from the Hippodrome said Derlunas left the theater a voicemail apologizing for his actions. 
 
 “The Hippodrome stands by our statement from yesterday,” the theater said in a statement Friday. “We welcome guests of all walks of life, but we will not tolerate behavior that is disruptive or disturbs the peace in our venue.” 
 
 “Fiddler on the Roof” runs through Sunday in Baltimore. The shows will go on as scheduled, according to the Bond Theatrical Group, and police will have an extra presence during their remaining performances. 
 
 smeehan@baltsun.com 
 
 twitter.com/sarahvmeehan
– File another one under Things That Seem Like a Good Idea While You're Drunk: Anthony Derlunas caused a stir Wednesday night in a Baltimore theater when he screamed "Heil Hitler! Heil Trump!" during intermission of a performance of Fiddler on the Roof—apparently inspired by the president's immigration policies and several glasses of wine, reports the Washington Post. "That didn't help my thinking one bit," says Derlunas, who's eating no small amount of crow over what he says was an ill-conceived protest of aforementioned policies. "The thing that I can’t stand is Trump spreading hatred, and what did I do? I spread hatred," the 58-year-old told the Baltimore Sun. Fellow patrons at the Hippodrome weren't only offended (the play deals with the persecution of a Jewish family), they were frightened: "People started running," says an audience member. "I’ll be honest, I was waiting to hear a gunshot." Security escorted Derlunas out and police issued him a stop ticket. The Hippodrome, however, issued him a lifetime ban, which Derlunas doesn't have a problem with. "I would ban me too if I was in their position," he says.