Colin Kaepernick's Protest Spreads to Australia, Aussie Rules Team Takes a Knee
Colin Kaepernick Kneeling Protest Spreads to Australia ... Aussie Rules Team Sends Message
A top Aussie Rules Football club is following Colin Kaepernick's lead ... with the entire organization taking a knee Thursday in an effort to put a spotlight on racial injustice Down Under.
Players, coaches and staff for the Brisbane Lions -- one of the best teams in the AFL -- took the field following a team meeting and each person took a knee.
Last night our proud Indigenous players along with Archie Smith of African American descent, addressed the team about the impact current events have had on them.
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) June 5, 2020 @brisbanelions
This is how the team chose to show their support to their teammates, their families, and the Indigenous community. pic.twitter.com/Hiutgx4IVJ
The team says they've been inspired by the protests ignited by the killing of George Floyd -- but they also want to highlight the racial injustices in Australia impacting their own Indigenous population.
According to reports, Indigenous people only make up 3% of the country's general population -- yet they make up 30% of the Australian jail population.
There are several Indigenous people on the Lions team along with one player of "African American descent" -- and they all spoke to the team "about the impact current events have had on them."
"[Taking a knee] is how the team chose to show their support to their teammates, their families, and the Indigenous community," the team said in a statement.
