Dominic Raab has prompted criticism and scorn after saying he views the symbolic Black Lives Matter action of taking the knee as “a symbol of subjugation and subordination”, and that it originated from the TV show Game of Thrones. In a sometimes eyebrow-raising exchange during a radio interview, the foreign secretary appeared not to know that the stance was popularised by US athletes, notably the American football player Colin Kaepernick, as a protest against racism and police brutality. Raab said he understood why some people took the knee, but said he would only do so “for the Queen and the Mrs when I asked her to marry me”. The pose, used in the past by Martin Luther King for prayer, was adopted as a secular protest against racism in 2016 and has spread widely since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month as a way of showing support for BLM and respect for those killed. Speaking on talkRadio on Thursday, Raab was asked whether he would adopt the pose. He replied: “Do you know what? I understand this sense of frustration, of restlessness, which is driving the Black Lives Matter movement. “I’ve got say, on this take the knee thing – which, I don’t know, maybe it’s got a broader history but it seems to be taken from the Game of Thrones – feels to me like a symbol of subjugation and subordination, rather than one of liberation and emancipation. But I understand people feel differently about it, so it’s a matter of personal choice.” The comment brought criticism from other MPs. David Lammy, the shadow justice secretary, tweeted: “This is not just insulting to the Black Lives Matter movement, it is deeply embarrassing for Dominic Raab. He is supposed to be the foreign secretary of the United Kingdom.” Diane Abbott, a former shadow home secretary, said: “‘Taking the knee began in 2016 with American athletes refusing to stand for US national anthem. They were protesting police brutality and racism. But Dominic Raab thinks it comes from Game of Thrones!!!” Ed Davey, the acting Liberal Democrats leader, told the BBC that Raab should offer “a fulsome apology”, adding that the comments “show the foreign secretary doesn’t really have a grasp of a key global movement”. Anne Soubry, the former Conservative MP, tweeted that Raab was “an embarrassment to our country and the party I used to be proud to be a member of”. The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, is among those in the UK who have adopted the pose. Some police officers have also done so at protests, and Premier League footballers and officials took the knee on Wednesday before the first games since the pause in the season caused by coronavirus. The use of taking a knee began in 2016 when Kaepernick, then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, opted to sit on the team bench rather than stand for the pre-NFL game rendition of the US national anthem, in protest against racism and police brutality.
Kaepernick, who was joined by other players, later decided to pose on one knee, saying this made the same point while showing more respect to military veterans. Among those he took advice from was Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret who also played in the NFL. Kaepernick’s actions led him to be frozen out of professional sport, and he was criticised by Donald Trump among others. Following the recent BLM protests, he could now return to the NFL, with even Trump saying this would not be a problem for him. Raab, when asked whether he would take the knee to show solidarity with BLM, said: “I’d take the knee for two people: the Queen and the Mrs when I asked her to marry me.” On the subject of his wife he added: “By the way, she disputes that. I had this conversation with her last night. I’m sure I did, but we’d obviously had too much champagne at the time. But I’m certain I did.” Responding later on Twitter, Raab said: “To be clear: I have full respect for the Black Lives Matter movement and the issues driving them. If people wish to take a knee, that’s their choice and I respect it. We all need to come together to tackle any discrimination and social injustice.” Boris Johnson’s spokesman said the prime minister had no comment on the issue. “The foreign secretary was very clear he was expressing a personal opinion, and he has tweeted about it,” he said. Raab’s Game of Thrones theory is not the first time he has expressed unusual views. In 2018, as Brexit secretary, he prompted criticism and some mockery for saying he had only recently appreciated the importance of the Dover-Calais crossing for UK trade.