NFL Player’s National Anthem Defiance Is His Basic Right: Obama

NFL star Colin Kaepernick stirred controversy when he stayed on the bench when the US national anthem was played.

US President Barack Obama and NFL player Colin Kaepernick. (Photo Altered by The Quint)

Days after Colin Kaepernick stirred controversy by refusing to stand for the national anthem, President Barack Obama says the NFL Player is within his rights to do so. Obama acknowledged that Colin had raised an important issue through his symbolic act.

Speaking at a news conference in China after the Group of 20 summit, Obama said he did not doubt Kaepernick’s sincerity to highlight social issues and noted the player was the latest in a long line of professional sports figures to do so. The US President also acknowledged that Kaepernick’s silent protest was a “tough thing” for many members of the military to accept.

Kaepernick – who is half-Black – was speaking out against police brutality on behalf of the millions of blacks who are potential victims of the implicit bias and excessively violent tactics that infect some police departments, and lack the megaphone he has.

Kaepernick has been heavily criticised since starting his silent protest. He’s said it’s not an anti-American gesture but a means to highlight the treatment of African Americans by police officers. He has said that he is trying to support “people who are oppressed.”

Video Editor: Mohd Ibrahim