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Bundesliga club take a knee in solidarity with American athletes

Hertha Berlin said the act demonstrated that the club stood for tolerance and responsibility.

THERE WERE COMPELLING scenes at the Olympicstadion in Berlin on Saturday as players and management of Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin took a knee in solidarity with protests in the United States against racial inequality.

All eleven of the club’s players knelt before kick-off of their game with Schalke, with coaches, backroom staff and substitutes also all taking part in the demonstration in the team’s dugout.

“Hertha BSC stands for tolerance and responsibility! For a tolerant Berlin and an open-minded world, now and forevermore!,” the club said on Twitter.

The symbolic gesture is in solidarity with ongoing protests in the US where a growing number of athletes are taking a knee against police brutality.

Former San Francisco 49′s quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the practice last year, taking a knee during the American national anthem before NFL games.

Saturday’s demonstration represents the first European club to join in solidarity with the movement.

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Aaron Gallagher
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