News

Obama: Kaepernick should think about pain he could cause with protest

by Nikita Vladimirov - 09/28/16 10:51 PM ET

Obama defends Kaepernick's right to protest https://t.co/lsGTSIHeMJ via @DaniellaMicaela https://t.co/1ZqGmqTU6s

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 29, 2016

President Obama on Wednesday said he hopes that athletes taking a knee during the national anthem and those who criticize the protest “listen to each other.”

{mosads}When asked about his thoughts on the issue during a CNN town hall, Obama said that honoring the U.S. flag binds Americans together.

“Well, as I’ve said before, I believe that us honoring our flag and our anthem is part of what binds us together as a nation. And I think that for me, for my family, for those who work in the White House, we recognize what it means to us, but also what it means to the men and women who are fighting on our behalf,” he said.

He then added that protesting the flag is a right and represents the democratic process in the country.

“But I’m also always trying to remind folks that part of what makes this country special is that we respect people’s rights to have a different opinion and to make different decisions about how they want to express their concerns.”

Speaking to an audience of military personnel and their family members, Obama encouraged the athletes such as Colin Kaepernick to listen to the pain that their protest may be causing to men and women in uniform.

“So I want Mr. Kaepernick and others who are on a knee, I want them to listen to the pain that they may cause somebody who, for example, had a spouse or a child who was killed in combat, and why it hurts them to see somebody not standing,” he said.

“But I also want people to think about the pain that he may be expressing about somebody who’s lost a loved one that they think was unfairly shot.”

Obama concluded by saying that every protester should recognize that they are expressing their view under a “blanket of protection of our men and women in uniform, and that that appreciation of that sacrifice is never lost.”

Tags