Military members and veterans rushed Wednesday to defend the football player who refused to stand during the National Anthem.
Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, received a lot of heat after his refusal to stand when the National Anthem was played during a pre-season game.
A Gold Star mother criticized him, saying that she lost her breath when she heard that Kaepernick couldn’t stand for the flag. A group of local veterans in San Francisco said that Kaepernick was “disrespecting their service.”
Military members and veterans came out to support him over Twitter with #VeteransForKaepernick.
I didn’t do six years underwater for a song. Free speech is fucking important. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/OpKosDlDe5
— Beren (@berenzero) August 31, 2016
I was brave enough to defend the rights of EVERYONE… Even those who dislike people like me. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/NwHn9PD8ps
— Brandy (@S4Diva1978) August 31, 2016
bc i served for the freedom to critique this country. nor racist ideology #BlackLivesMatter #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/JhgE88Jc6m
— ROB (@robsoreal) August 31, 2016
if you haven’t served, don’t speak on my behalf #VeteransForKaepernickpic.twitter.com/30AtfIvaRI
— SH
Some veterans came out over Twitter to disagree with Kaepernick’s actions.
#veterans for kaepernick is bullshit why respect a man who disrespects the flag our brothers and sisters died wearing!
— Rene (@grene98) August 31, 2016
Considering you’re not a Veteran STFU you know NOTHING about fighting & sacrificing for American FREEDOM! #Veterans https://t.co/HSWh2trt6b
— Sam (@AZPatriot01) August 31, 2016
Alex Boone rips former teammate Colin Kaepernick for disrespecting the U.S. military. https://t.co/9TkKe5jwyi@theScore #Military #Veterans
— TransitioningVeteran (@TransitionVet) August 30, 2016
Hey Colin Kaepernick; Oppression? Why not protest those Arab countries who brutally oppress and beat their own women?
— Scott (@Hollywood_4_Me) August 28, 2016
Thank God our #veterans who fought & died for #America when duty called, didn’t feel the same way as #Kaepernick about our #NationalAnthem !
— Van Hipp (@VanHipp) August 27, 2016
Kaepernick said he did not stand for the National Anthem because America “oppresses black people.”
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder,” Kaepernick told NFL Media.
Send tips to amber@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.