Raab storm as he says: Taking the knee comes from Game of Thrones
DOMINIC Raab was forced to backtrack yesterday amid fury over his suggestion that ‘taking the knee’ came from TV fantasy drama Game of Thrones.
The Foreign Secretary said he would not perform the gesture in support of Black Lives Matter, adding he knelt only for ‘the Queen and the missus when I asked her to marry me’.
Mr Raab said he understood why some took the knee – which originated as an anti-racism protest by US sports stars – but that to him it felt like a ‘symbol of subjugation... not liberation’.
The comments, on a radio show, triggered a wave of condemnation and derision – and led to Downing Street distancing itself by stressing that Mr Raab had been expressing a ‘personal opinion’. The minister, who is also de facto deputy prime minister, told Julia Hartley-Brewer on talkRADIO: ‘I understand this sense of frustration and restlessness which is driving the Black Lives Matter movement.
‘I’ve got to say on this taking the knee thing – which I don’t know, maybe it’s got a broader history – but it seems to be taken from the Game of Thrones.
‘It feels to me like a symbol of subjugation and subordination, rather than one of liberation and emancipation – but I understand people feel differently about it so it is a matter of personal choice.’
Asked if he would take the knee himself, he replied: ‘I take the knee for two people – the Queen and the missus when I asked her to marry me.’
He then added that he could not remember if he had actually proposed to his wife on one knee as he had drunk too much champagne at the time.
Labour’s justice spokesman David Lammy described the remarks as ‘ insulting’ and ‘deeply embarrassing’ – suggesting that, as Foreign Secretary, Mr Raab ought to know the gesture started in the US.
Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said: ‘Taking the knee began in 2016 with
‘We all need to come together’
American athletes refusing to stand for US national anthem.
‘They were protesting police brutality and racism. But Dominic Raab thinks it comes from Game of Thrones!’
Mr Raab later sought to clarify his remarks on Twitter, writing: ‘To be clear: I have full respect for the Black Lives Matter movement, and the issues driving them. If people wish to take a knee, that’s their choice and I respect it. We all need to come together to tackle any discrimination and social injustice.’
The pose has become a familiar method of showing support for Black Lives Matter following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, and participants have included Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, some police officers at protests and footballers at the restart of the Premier League this week.
It started when American Football player Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the US national anthem at the start of games in protest at police brutality and racism.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback was joined by teammates and others before the NFL outlawed the gesture. That ruling was later repealed but Kaepernick has remained frozen out of the professional game.
The phrase ‘ bend the knee’ appears often in fantasy drama Game of Thrones as a gesture in which characters including Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, pay their respects to a king, queen or lord.
Asked about Boris Johnson’s views on taking the knee yesterday, his spokesman said he had set out his views on protests and the ‘ very strong sentiment’ which has been expressed.
He said the Prime Minister had set up a racial inequality commission to focus on a ‘positive agenda for change’ and said an independent chairman would be appointed in due course.