DOMINIC Raab has said he would not take the knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
After premier league players took the knee as football returned to TV screen last night the Foreign Secretary said it was a symbol of “subjugation”.
He told TalkRadio: “I understand this sense of frustration and restlessness which is driving the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I’ve got to say on this taking the knee thing, I don’t know, maybe it’s got a broader history but it seems to be taken from Game of Thrones, feels to me like a symbol of subjugation and subordination.”
The Foreign Secretary said it was not a gesture of “liberation and emancipation but I understand people feel differently about it so it’s a matter of personal choice.”
When pressed on whether he would take the knee himself, he quipped: “I take the knee for two people, the Queen and the Mrs when I asked her to marry me.”
The gesture of taking the knee has been used as a symbol of the anti-racism rallies after football players in the US knelt down while the national anthem was being sung to protest police brutality and racism in 2016.
Police officers across the world have been seen taking the knee in support of the protests anti-racism rallying cry.
Mr Raab has since had to clarify his remarks: “To be clear: I have full respect for the Black Lives Matter movement and the issues driving them.”
