MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2021) UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Friday that she does not support "taking the knee" for the Black Lives Matter movement, despite the gesture being a mainstay at professional sporting events in the country since the death of George Floyd in the United States.
In late December, the Professional Footballers' Association said that Premier League soccer players would continue to take the knee before matches in protest against racial discrimination. During an appearance on the LBC radio broadcaster, Patel was asked if she would repeat the gesture.
"No I would not, I would not have at the time either. There are other ways in which people can express their opinions," Patel said.
George Floyd, an African-American male, died after being detained by US law enforcement officers in the state of Minnesota this past May. His death sparked a wave of protests against police brutality and racial discrimination across the globe, including in the United Kingdom.
The home secretary added that she did not support the Black Lives Matter protests, which she described as "dreadful."
The taking the knee gesture gained notoriety back in 2016 after several National Football League (NFL) players, most notably quarterback Colin Kaepernick, knelt on one knee during the US national anthem before games in protest against police brutality.
Then-US President Donald Trump said in 2017 that NFL team owners should "fire" players who refuse to stand for the national anthem.
