Esher and Walton MP and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab faced a backlash on Thursday morning (June 18) after he appeared to criticize the Black Lives Matter movement's methods of peaceful protest.
In an interview with Talk Radio broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer, Raab was asked whether he would take a knee in reference to the symbolic way Black Lives Matter supporters have protested racial injustice and police brutality in recent weeks:
"I understand this sense of frustration and restlessness which is driving the Black Lives Matter movement.
"I've got to say on this taking a knee thing which, I don't know, maybe it's got a broader history that seems to be taken from Games of Thrones, feels to me like a symbol of subjugation and subordination, rather than one of liberation and emancipation," he said.
Asked if he would take a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab: "I take the knee for two people; the Queen and the Mrs when I asked her to marry me." Listen live ► https://t.co/sv3MZUm41c@JuliaHB1 | @DominicRaab pic.twitter.com/HbCIrCFKKV
— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) June 18, 2020
The latest wave of Black Lives Matter protests were sparked after the death of George Floyd at the hands of US police in Minnesota.
Floyd died after police knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, which lead directly to his death according to an independent autopsy report that concluded he died after "asphyxiation from sustained pressure."
In response, Black Lives Matter supporters around the world have knelt for eight minutes in a peaceful gesture of solidarity for the fight for racial justice.
Taking a knee as a form of protest was previously popularised by African American NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who knelt to protest racial injustice during the US national anthem in 2016.
On Thursday, Raab went onto to say that "I understand that people feel differently about it so it's a matter of personal choice..."
He also told Hartley-Brewer that he would "take the knee for two people, the Queen and the missus when I asked her to marry me..."
In a later Tweet posted after his comments had sparked a furious backlash from Black Lives Matter supporters, the Esher and Walton MP said:
"To be clear: I have full respect for the Black Lives Matter movement, and the issues driving them.
"If people wish to take a knee, that’s their choice and I respect it. We all need to come together to tackle any discrimination and social injustice."
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