This morning on Twitter, the trending topic #TakeAKnee has been growing spreading across the social network and beyond, calling to attention a number of issues such as police brutality, racial equity and more. It appears that some are misunderstanding the gesture, just as many did with Colin Kaepernick‘s peaceful, kneeling protest during last year’s NFL season.
President Donald Trump was at an Alabama rally on Friday, blasting NFL players who have spoken out against police violence and related injustices in recent days.
At one point, Trump says, “love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he’s fired!’” to a round of applause which some saw as a direct dig at Kap. Players across the league hit back on Twitter, thus bringing forth the current trending topic.
The hashtag is calling for NFL players to take a knee just as Kaepernick did with the San Francisco 49ers this coming Sunday, and already the pushback has been vehement as expected.
The growing narrative and increasing number of athletes and entertainers who have rallied around Kaepernick’s cause to shout down police brutality and spark discussion is that it’s unpatriotic or offensive to the nation’s military. While that point has become a rallying cry for opponents of Kaepernick and others joined in the silent protests, it has and always been deeper than that.
Thankfully, many of the #TakeAKnee responders on Twitter are carefully noting that the hashtag is to unify and promote equal rights for all. That still isn’t stopping President Cheeto Chump Stans and other right-wing nutballs from adding their unnecessary two cents.
We’ve collected the best of the chatter below and on the following pages. We could not identify who originated the trending topic but will give credit and update once we do so. Following the discussion here.
https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/911597194200834050
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Photo: Getty Images
