What's taking the knee and why is it important?

2 years ago 35

England players taking the genu  earlier  their lucifer  against Czech Republic connected  22 JuneImage source, European Press Photo Agency

England's footballers volition instrumentality the genu astatine their World Cup matches successful Qatar.

Taking the genu has dispersed crossed the sporting satellite arsenic a connection against racism.

How agelong person English players taken the knee?

The signifier of taking the genu earlier shot matches became wide successful 2020.

It followed the execution successful the US of George Floyd - an unarmed African American antheral - who was killed during an apprehension by achromatic serviceman Derek Chauvin.

England's men's and women's teams adopted taking the knee, including during the European Championships that took spot successful the summers of 2021 and 2022.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

England and Germany instrumentality the genu earlier the Women's Euro 2022 final

Premier League players besides took the genu earlier matches pursuing football's instrumentality from the Covid-19 shutdown successful the summertime of 2020.

It was past decided up of the commencement of this play to use circumstantial moments passim the play to instrumentality the genu alternatively than making the motion astatine each match.

Why bash immoderate radical reason taking the knee?

Several Conservative politicians person said they reason kneeling due to the fact that they spot it arsenic a governmental statement.

Before Euro 2020, the past Home Secretary Priti Patel said that she did not enactment "people participating successful that benignant of motion politics".

Gillian Keegan, who is present the acquisition secretary, has antecedently said taking the genu is "creating division", and Tory MP Lee Anderson refused to watch England's Euro 2020 matches successful protest, saying it was a governmental motion with which helium disagreed.

Rather than demonstrating absorption to racism and enactment for the Black Lives Matter movement, it has been argued that kneeling really shows enactment for a campaigning organisation besides called Black Lives Matter.

But England manager Gareth Southgate has said the England team's actions were not successful enactment of the Black Lives Matter organisation. In June 2021 helium said: "We person got a concern wherever immoderate radical look to deliberation it is simply a governmental stand that they don't hold with. That is not the crushed the players are doing it. We are supporting each other."

Downing Street has said it volition respect the decisions of teams connected taking the genu during this World Cup.

England players were jeered by immoderate Hungarian fans erstwhile they took a genu earlier their Nations League lucifer successful June, contempt astir of the assemblage successful Budapest being children.

Where does taking the genu successful athletics travel from?

American footballer Colin Kaepernick took the genu during the nationalist anthem earlier a lucifer successful 2016. He said helium could not basal to amusement pridefulness successful the emblem of a state that oppressed achromatic people.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Colin Kaepernick (centre) began taking a genu successful 2016

The anti-racist connection has since go a salient awesome successful athletics and during protests.

It has besides been a diagnostic of Black Lives Matter protests, including those pursuing the execution of George Floyd.

What different protests person been made?

  • At the Mexico Olympics successful 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the achromatic powerfulness salute connected the medal rostrum
  • Basketball prima Mahmoud Abdul Rauf refused to basal for the US nationalist anthem successful 1996 and described the US emblem arsenic a awesome of oppression
  • LeBron James and different hoops players wore T-shirts with the words "I can't breathe" written connected them successful 2014, echoing the past words of Eric Garner, who died aft being restrained by constabulary officers successful New York.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Martin Luther King Jr led a radical of civilian rights activists to instrumentality a genu successful supplication aft being arrested portion campaigning for voting rights successful 1965

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