Source: Michael Reaves / Getty
It appears the take a knee protest, started by Colin Kaepernick, has spread overseas to the soccer arena.
Before the start of a soccer match in Berlin, German team Hertha Berlin (Hertha BSC) locked arms and took a knee on Saturday. In a statement on their Twitter account, the team said they took a knee “for tolerance and responsibility” and “a tolerant Berlin and an open-minded world.”
Kaepernick originally took a knee during the National Anthem back in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial oppression. Since then, many football players have joined Kaepernick despite various critics, including Donald Trump.
Though Hertha BSC didn’t specifically mention racism or police brutality in their statement, it’s clear they’re paying attention to the discussions about protest in the U.S. Along with the players, coaches and staff also took a knee on the sidelines. One player for the team, Salomon Kalou, was clear about their intentions. “We stand against racists and that’s our way of sharing that,” he told the Associated Press. “We are always going to fight against this kind of behavior, as a team and as a city.
