Protest Kaepernick won’t stand for anthem
WHEN the national anthem played before the start of the preseason game with the Green Bay Packers on Friday night, Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, took a stand by not standing.
Explaining the gesture, Kaepernick said that he had decided to remain seated as a statement against racial oppression.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour,” he told NFL Media in an interview published on Saturday.
“To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” he said.
On h is Tw it ter feed, Kaeper nick (pictured, AFP) curates a timeline of events that have found a place in the nationa l discourse about race, politics and police behav iour, including a protest by white supremacists i n front of a n NA ACP headquarters in Houston, a n a r t icle about how Arizona teenagers were forced by their school to cha nge out of t heir Black L ives Matters sh i r t s, a nd t he fata l pol ice shoot i ng of a n a r med black man in Milwaukee.
“There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,” he said.
Kaepernick, who is of mixed race and was adopted by white parents, said he had discussed his feelings with his family and, after months of witnessing recent civil unrest, he decided to be more active, according to the NFL Media report.
He said he had not informed the team of his intentions. “This is not something that I am going to run by anybody,” he said.d. “I I am not looklook ing for approval. l. I have to stand up for people ople that are oppressed.”
He continued: : “If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood od up for what is right.”
In a statement, t, the 49ers said the pregame presentation ion o f t h e n a t i o n a l a n t h e m wa s a n opportunity to hononour the country and the liberties affordedded to its citizens.
“In respectingg such American principlesples as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, sion, we recognise the rightght of an individual to choose and participate, or not, in our celebrat celebration of the national anthem,” the teamtea said. And the league sa said in a statement: “Players are enco encouraged but not required to stand d during the playing of the nation national anthem.” K a epee per n ic k wa s not asked a about his decision in t the he n news conference af after ter t the game, which Green Bay won 21-10, t he S San Jose Mercur y News repor ted i n a blog post. It n noted that Kaepernick sat in front of t he wat water coolers on the sid sidel i ne whi le h i s tea mmates stood du during the national a n nt hem.