The squad of Premier League leaders Liverpool have lent their voices to the wave of support from the sporting community for the protests against police brutality in the United States following the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, an unarmed African-American, was killed while in police custody last week in an incident which sparked widespread protest across the United States and has prompted some of sports world’s biggest names to add their support to the #BlackLivesMatter campaign.
A police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been arrested following Floyd’s death.
The protests have now spread to several major cities in Europe, such as Berlin, London and Dublin.
Following on from the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Jordan in the last day, the playing squad of English champions-elect Liverpool showed their support for protestors by kneeling in solidarity inside their empty home stadium, with several players sharing the images on social media shortly after.
The entire squad knelt in Anfield's centre circle ahead of today's training session in a powerful show of support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
The gesture references the actions of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was castigated by some quarters in the United States for peacefully kneeling during the playing of the national anthem prior to games.
Kaepernick’s stance generated significant support among his fellow professionals but was ultimately stamped out.
Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL in several years despite taking part in a trial aimed at potentially returning him to action in recent months.
It had been suggested by some analysts that the Minnesota Vikings – the home team in the state central to the initial protests – sign Kaepernick as a backup quarterback as part of a gesture of support to the growing movement.
