Support Colin Kaepernick!
December 3, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
From readers in Chicago:
December 3—Today the Chicago Police Memorial Fund, the Fraternal Order of Police, some military veterans, and others called a press conference and rally. The sole purpose was to demand that Colin Kaepernick stand up for the national anthem at the 49ers/Bears football game on Sunday. Kaepernick is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. In the context of Trump’s tweets calling for jailing and stripping the citizenship of anyone who burns the American flag, we thought this attack could not go unanswered and called our own press conference 15 minutes earlier at the same park. Several TV and radio stations were there along with print and digital media. One all-news radio station broadcast a report 10 minutes later. Revolutionaries read the following statement:
Support Colin Kaepernick for Not Standing for the National Anthem!!
Come out to the Bears-49ers game (Sunday, December 4, 10:30 am)
Don’t Stand for the National Anthem
No Enforced Patriotism! No Police Terror!
In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America
The attack on Colin Kaepernick from the Chicago Police Memorial Fund, the Fraternal Order of Police, some military veterans, and others is a blatant attempt to shut down dissent and criticism. They want to force Kaepernick to back down by creating a climate of intimidation and enforced patriotism, and to muzzle criticism of the police. This must be stopped NOW!
We call on all players on the 49ers and Bears and in the whole NFL and all the fans with a shred of justice in their hearts to act on their conscience and show support for Colin by REFUSING TO STAND UP for the national anthem.
Colin Kaepernick has refused to stand for the national anthem since the beginning of the season to oppose police brutality and murder and the oppression of Black people. This is a brave and righteous act of resistance. He has influenced many others—from famous athletes to schoolkids—to also refuse to stand for the anthem.
His act of resistance opened the debate more broadly on what the American flag actually represents, including the crimes of police who murder with impunity and get away without punishment 99 percent of the time, and many other crimes of the U.S. here and around the world. (See “Sit Down for Their Nasty-full Anthem! A Teachable Moment” at www.revcom.us)
Now with the election of Trump, it is essential that people refuse to accept a fascist America and step up the resistance. The election of Trump has emboldened the ugly open expression of white supremacy against Black people and anti-immigrant attacks on Muslims, Latinos, and others as part of the xenophobic, misogynist, war-mongering fascist program. This was recently concentrated in the howling lynch mob under the banner of “Blue Lives Matter” that threatened the family of Joshua Beal and protesters in Mt. Greenwood after an off-duty Chicago cop killed the young Black man. They screamed the N-word and said “get out of Mt. Greenwood” and chanted “USA, USA, USA” and “Trump, Trump, Trump,” putting their racist, fascist, patriotic program together in one package. Nazi swastika stickers with “Trump” on them have been found all over the South Loop since the election.
We Will Not Be Silent or Cowed. Now Is the Time to Act.
Now is the time to resist. We cannot allow them to enforce patriotism under threat of intimidation and violence. We can’t allow them to muzzle criticism of police. It matters what you do.
We call on everyone to support Colin Kaepernick tomorrow, Sunday, December 4. We will meet at 10:30 am on the south steps of the Field Museum on McFetridge Drive. Look for banners. Bring signs!
In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America!
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