Bruce Springsteen defended the Black Lives Matter movement and Colin Kaerpernick’s protest of the national anthem.
The 67-year-old rocker told Rolling Stone magazine that the movement, started after the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s killer George Zimmerman, is “chickens coming home to roost.” (RELATED: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Tells African-Americans To Boycott Work)
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“Well, it’s all chickens coming home to roost,” Springsteen said. “These are issues that have been ignored or hidden, and due to modern technology and the availability of cellphone cameras and constant video feed, these things are coming to the surface. Black Lives Matter is a natural outgrowth and response to the injustices that have been occurring for a very long time in the United States.” (RELATED: Bruce Springsteen Calls Trump A ‘Moron’)
He added that the reason people don’t like BLM is because “nobody likes being told they’re wrong.”
Springsteen also said he “admires” San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has refused to stand for the national anthem at games as a form of protest of racial injustice and police-involved shootings.
“Athletics is a difficult place to make political statements,” Springsteen said. “There was the Olympics in the Sixties, and obviously Muhammad Ali. But sports is such an escapist field.”
“I think when politics or personal expression is injected, it rankles people more than in other fields,” he added. “But we’re in a time where there isn’t any place where these issues can be excluded. I admire Kaepernick, but it’s a very difficult field to be outspoken in.”
Springsteen’s song “American Skin (41 Shots)” is about the police brutality. One of the lines says, “Promise Mama you’ll keep your hands in sight.”
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