Hamilton says he may join ‘take a knee’ anthem protest at US GP

2017 United States Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton says he is considering whether to participate in the ‘take a knee’ national anthem protests when Formula One visits the USA for next month’s grand prix.

Hundreds of players in America’s National Football League took part in the protests last week by kneeling during pre-game performances of the American national anthem. The protests were started last year by Colin Kaepernick in response to civil rights abuses against black people in America.

The protests have attracted fierce condemnation from US President Donald Trump, who called the players “sons of bitches”. Hamilton has repeatedly indicated his support for the protesters.

Speaking to The Times, Hamilton said he had not yet decided whether he would protest but said he would consider it.

“It’s important for everyone to stand up for what they believe in. I don’t plan on being more political but I do feel we should all stand up and stick by what we believe in.”

“I have not thought about it,” Hamilton added. “I’ve not even thought about that race but of course I will have to start to think about it — what would be right for me to do or do I even need to get involved?”

Hamilton acknowledged such a protest would be perceived differently if it was done by a British sportsperson instead of an American.

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“It’s not my national anthem,” he said, “but the issue that is in the States… Well, it’s not just in the States, it is a global thing. It’s more focused and probably at its worse perhaps in America. I think we all do need to stand together.”

Hamilton has repeatedly indicated his support for the protesters in social media, including yesterday when he posted an animated video of a dog mounting a Trump doll. He later removed the post.

Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff responded to the post by saying Hamilton had “very strong” feelings on the subject of human rights. “I think he wanted to show that and probably Instagram as the communication channel is something that he needs to rethink but I can relate to his feelings,” said Wolff.

“I think one of the most important things in the US is that you have the right to express your opinion and I would want to leave it there and not comment any more,” Wolff added. “I think we are here as sport teams and sports should unite and I’m not sure it is happening everywhere in the world so I would rather lead by example and not comment on politics.”

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    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    175 comments on “Hamilton says he may join ‘take a knee’ anthem protest at US GP”

    1. For the record, the NFL players from the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens who took a knee during the US national anthem last weekend at Wembley all stood for the British anthem.

      1. @willwood That’s interesting thanks for that – I don’t follow the NFL at all so am not up on the finer details.

        I have to say it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest if someone not from Britain chose to get involved in a protest involving the British national anthem. And I’ve never been a fan of these forced anthem observances which F1 only introduced recently anyway. (And don’t get me started on the idiocy of giving drivers reprimands if they don’t show up on time).

        Though it makes me wonder, what would happen in the unlikely scenario that Hamilton finishes second behind a Haas? Would he take a knee again when the anthem is played for the winning constructor?

        1. @keithcollantine Yeah, outside of motorsport, American Football is the sport I follow closest. #FlyEaglesFly

          I feel that a high-profile figure from another country such as Hamilton taking a knee in the USA during the US anthem would provoke a major reaction from those who already take issue with the current protests in the NFL.

          1. @willwood Fellow Eagles fan checking in. I agree with your sentiment but for me its double-edged.
            One one hand he can stay out of it all and avoid the controversy, or use his platform to show solidarity for a cause he agrees and or believes in. Either way, just him thinking about it already has stirred controversy and conversation.
            ( side note, last weekend’s sweet 61yrd kick was the perfect birthday gift #FlyEaglesFly )

        2. I don’t know what to feel about this. American athletes (especially African American) protesting during American anthem played at the most American sports event, watched by the entire nation, is one thing. After all, it’s their country, their issue, and their game. The police are watching, the communities, the president is reacting – all that – it brings it home.

          But a British athlete protesting during American anthem at an international event just feels really odd to me.

          Lewis, being the first and only black F1 driver, wants to show his support and solidarity to fellow athletes, and we get it. But is this really the best venue for this? Oh, and Toto bringing up how Lewis has strong feelings about human rights into this is just cringeworthy. Obviously, it’s not about human rights in general. It’s about race and ‘Black Lives Matter’ specifically. Otherwise, Lewis would have to take a knee at half the races on the calendar.

          1. Peppermint-Lemon (@)
            30th September 2017, 20:28

            Very eloquently put.

          2. First and only Black driver? What about Wehrlein?
            Not that skin color matters at all, but that’s the point.

          3. It’s not about race it’s about black men in the US having three times higher chance of being shot by the police hundreds of times a year, and a history of systemic violence against the black man by police. He has every right to protest. Especially in the good’ ol state of Texas. https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/

            1. Blacks consist of 12% of the population yet commit over 50% of the murders and violent crime. Clearly they demand more of the police’s attention.

              And I’m sorry, many studies have shown that blacks are LESS likely to be shot by police than whites.

              How bout more facts and less propaganda.

            2. @nick101 Johnny has supplied a verifiable source for his claims, you have not, so I think your request for “more facts” applies more to you than to him.

            3. @nick101 You’re confusing cause and effect. Poor people commit more crimes for a number of reasons in any country and from any race.
              There are plenty of scientific and statistically good studies that show this link. You can google it yourself or here are a couple of good links:

              https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21613303-disturbing-study-link-between-incomes-and-criminal-behaviour-have-and

              https://www.poverties.org/blog/poverty-and-crime

              https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5137

              As @keithcollantine pointed out, you need to provide statistics to back up your strong assertions.

            4. @nick101 @keithcollantine
              You should read studies like this before you provide them as links to back up your argument.
              1) The study shows a much higher use of force against blacks “blacks are 21.3 percent
              more likely to be involved in an interaction with police in which at least a weapon is drawn than
              whites and the difference is statistically significant.”
              2) The study is very controversial because the data used was provided directly by 10 police departments who allowed the officers to fill out and self report all data.

              The use of lethal vs non-lethal force is not consistent and reflects the fact that only these police departments who were willing to share data that they report (with no oversight or verification)…. is considered controversial for a reason: It doesn’t follow any norm in data sampling and statistical analysis.

              You might as well be putting out a poll on the internet and asking Fox News viewers what they think of black violence.

            5. @daved,

              Your original claim said nothing about use of force. You said blacks are more likely to be shot than whites. This is nonsense.

              Blacks are more likely to interact with police, for the simple fact that they commit a vastly disproportionate amount of crime.

              This is a fact. You can play identity politics and victimhood politics all you like. The simple fact of the matter is they make up 12% to 13% and commit over 50% of murders and violent crime. This is from department of justice statistics.

              It’s pretty clear that the police are far from the black populations biggest problem. I guess it’s the police’s fault that they commit so much crime?

            6. @nick101
              I gave you multiple links that showed crime comes from poverty, not race. It was your study that brought up use of force and used very poor data from a small number of police departments who “self reported” with no oversight or verification of their data.

              It’s clear you’re a racist looking for anything that will support your preconceived views of black people. You totally ignored the study showing poor people in Scandinavian countries do the same levels of crimes as poor blacks in the US.

              I’m not going to debate with a racist so you keep wallowing in your disgusting ignorance and stop bothering me.

            7. @daved

              If pointing out facts makes me racist then I guess I’m a racist. That should be an interesting conversation with my Polynesian wife!

              And by the way, I’m not some melting snowflake leftard so slinging around a term like racist doesn’t make me cower in fear, so spare me the nonsense.

              African Americans have a massive culture problem. That culture problem is their biggest problem. They need to start sorting themselves out and stop playing the victim and maybe they’ll move up the socioeconomic ladder.

              When they stop killing each other in disgustingly massive amounts, then maybe we can start worrying about ‘police brutality’. Oh and by the way, if you’re an African American you are actually just as likely to be struck by lightning then shot by a cop and FAR more likely to be shot by one of your ‘brothers’.

              But hey, don’t let facts get in the way of your moral virtue signalling!

            8. How come black women can understand, but black men haven’t gotten it yet?

      2. Very good point. I think Hamilton has no conceivable right to protest. I don’t think other people would take it well. He’s free to do whatever he wants, he just has to face the consequences.
        On a different political subject what has Trump anything to do with Lewis? First time in a long time the leader of the “free world” is not a politician and all the world has to offer is disrespect and intolerance, just because everyone thinks they are more entitled to be the leader of the “free world” than Trump, nobody bothers to even give a little thought into the actual politics.

        1. think Hamilton has no conceivable right to protest.

          Everyone has the right to protest the mistreatment of innocent people

          First time in a long time the leader of the “free world” is not a politician and all the world has to offer is disrespect

          Trust me people aren’t disrespecting Trump because he’s not a politician.

          1. Everyone has a right to protest.. That being said Hamilton is a Tax Dodge staying in Monoco.. I dont want this guy Lecturing USA if he is avoiding paying taxes for the same people he says he is representing and supporting.. Poor
            and/or color people of any country..

            1. So you’re basically saying that if I’m a criminal, I have no right to stand up or speak up for someone on the street that is obviously being mistreated? As Martin said, “Everyone has the right to protest the mistreatment of innocent people”, and that’s the problem with this world, not enough people are speaking up for the poor, innocent and disadvantaged.

            2. That made me laugh. Legally gaming the system to avoid paying taxes? He and Trump should have so a lot in common.

              They are both experts a cultivating personality too.

              (It appears most of Trump’s tax bill is from entertainment and endorsements. The tax breaks for real estate moguls are extensive.)

        2. @peartree
          So you think we should respect Trump while he sits at his golf course and blames the American Citizens of Puerto Rico for their own problems when their island has been wiped out by 2 hurricanes? When we had Katrina, there was 10’s of millions of dollars in aid realesed within 4 days. 8,000+ responders in Haiti after their earthquake from the US within 3 days. Trump…yeah, it’s been 10 days and no money and they just started getting people there a couple of days ago and in small numbers.
          Him not being being a politician has nothing to do with this. He’s a self centered and incompetent.

          1. @daved I don’t think anybody should respect anyone, I just know that this president is as good as anyone, if anything we could expect more but the public opinion is so pitiful. You are a perfect example of what I was referring to, people that have no you don’t read the news with an open mind, it’s trendy to find anything to criticise, why didn’t you openly criticise past presidents, keep going honestly.
            Puerto Rico is an US territory, unfortunately that means that Puerto Rico can’t vote. What happened after both hurricanes in Puerto Rico can’t be compared to the Haitian earthquake, in scale and the capacity of the territory, Haiti is very poor. Want to see a good hurricane response, look at Cuba. The US has lifted the shipping ban, in order to help Puerto Rico, that’s unprecedented.

            1. @peartree
              You are blatantly making up your own slant to this. They lifted the Jones Act restrictions on shipping IMMEDIATELY for both Texas and Florida hurricanes. Trump waited 8 days and even admitted that the companies who control shipping didn’t want him to do the same for Puerto Rico. He only lifted the restrictions when John McCain introduced a bill in Congress and public criticism embarrassed him.

              Ignoring all of that, Trump has repeatedly refused to criticize white supremacists. He’s been that way since during the campaign and made more thinly veiled and even overtly racist statements than any politician since the 1930’s in Germany. He called Mexicans rapists and murderers and said a Hispanic judge couldn’t oversee his case simply because of his heritage.

              He got 5 deferments to serve in the US Military because of “bone spurs” yet he was able to play college baseball and was being considered for the Major League Baseball draft at the same time. He also attacked Gold Star family who lost their son in Afghanistan!
              Yet now he’s suddenly so “patriotic” that he feels that players who kneel to protest racism in this country are “disrespecting our military”. What utter bullshyte.

              He is disgustingly racist and divisive. If you’re ok with all of this, then I have nothing else to say to you and will not debate with an apologist or supporter, whichever you happen to be.

            2. Dave do you not know supplies were sent and he donated 1 million of his own dollars and the U.S. sent aid as well. The distributors in Puerto Rico were on strike before and were holding the supplies hostage to get their pay raise. The mayor of San Juan and governor of Puerto Rico are corrupt. The supplies were there but the politicians in Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rican distribution companies were playing hardball. The Jones Act being in affect or being lifted wouldn’t have done anything if the people in Puerto Rico were holding the supplies hostage. Trump went down there himself to distribute supplies.

            3. @peartree

              Guess what, Trump let the Jones act expire today. Over half the people on the island don’t have access to drinking water yet and are starting to die from diseases from drinking contaminated water. Again, John McCain had to bring this to everyone’s attention.

              Kevin, stop doing drugs and stop reading neo-nazi websites for your “news”. Your brain is frying and you’re spewing absolute fiction. Trump gave ZERO of his own dollars to Puerto Rico and even his lying mouth didn’t claim he did. What absolute nutty fantasy world do you live in? He stayed for less than 3 hours on the island and threw paper towels at people like they were dogs playing fetch to amuse him.

            4. @peartree
              Slight edit: I meant to say that he let the Jones Act suspension expire today so the Jones Act is now once again choking off PR. By the way, it was an act put in place in the early 1900 supposedly to help America grow it’s navy. LOL What a joke.

      3. Lewis is showing his severe ignorance here. Even suggesting that he may take a knee is foolish like all the overpaid NFL Players, it’s the latest fad for rich people who are cheap. Lewis is rich and comes from privilege though he pretends like he does not. He’s phony and he doesn’t understand what American soldiers have done for both America and The UK. This is some sort of fad for Lewis desperately trying to be cool. In America, if you commit a serious crime, you are more likely to be shot if you are white. Those are the statistics, look it up. The media feeds racial issues because it draws ratings. There are racial problems that need to be dealt with seriously in America and disrespecting soldiers does not help, there is no denying America needs to continue leading the way in fixing racial problems. President Trump is right calling The NFL out on taking a knee, he is the only brave President America has had in many decades. If Lewis takes a knee, BOYCOTT MERCEDES BENZ! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

        1. It’s nothing to do with the military it’s a black man considering a protest against the ugly racism that is still gripping the US, in particular it’s police force, 54 years after Martin Luther King stood on the steps of the Lincoln memorial giving his ‘I have a dream’ speech. I just can’t comprehend that

    2. Yeah, that should help Formula One’s popularity here in America. Someone coming from across the pond to stick their nose in our business and disrespect our soldiers who died for our freedom.

      1. Are you serious? Or are you trolling? I can’t tell (good trolling i that case)

        1. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
          1st October 2017, 1:38

          @alfa145 – Hamilton kneeling will upset a lot of Americans, guaranteed.

          I’m not agreeing with either side here, just stating what will happen.

          1. F1 will suffer same fate as nfl I race in Scca u would be ousted by peer pressure for doing it I but if he does it I may wuit watching f 1 till he leaves which may not be that long if max becomes his teammate

      2. @wesley It doesn’t matter where he’s from – racism and discrimination is a human-wide problem. If you’re uncomfortable with people complaining that your nation is systematically bigoted, perhaps help it become less bigoted.

        As for your absurd comment about disrespecting your soldiers, as a veteran myself, I am more offended by your objecting to an anti-racism protest than by someone kneeling during a song. And that’s before considering that the freedom to protest is exactly the kind of freedom they died to protect.

        1. systematically bigoted

          There we have it, ‘systematically’, do you know what that word means?

          1. It means it’s the system that is bigoted. As in the laws are made so that racial minorities are at a disadvantage.
            That’s what systematically means.

            1. You do realize the last president was a racial minority and all of these issues boiled over a few years ago while he was president. It started in Ferguson after Michael Browne and Obama was president then and could have worked toward the correct legislation. Instead he wanted to get greedy with legislation instead of reaching compromises to get it passed. He tried to be like Lincoln and go for a hail mary with the passing of the 13th amendment, yet he failed because he couldn’t compromise to get support from Republicans for passing any legislation. His 1st term he had control of the Senate and House and could have passed laws, but never did on these issues because his main focus was bailing out the banks.

          2. @flatsix Yes I do. Not entirely sure why you’ve brought that up…

          3. @fluxsource, @dutchtreat Either of you, quote me one law that is inherently disadvantaging minorities. In what state in America does a coloured man or woman not have same rights or opportunities as a ‘white’ man. As long as the left continues to focus on equal outcome rather than equal opportunity they will fail to make any sense.

            Also, by a large majority it is ‘blacks’ (I hate to type that) who perform murders on ‘blacks’. The actual murders performed by white males or females is but a small percentage of the day to day slaughterhouse the coloured community brings upon itself. Yet it is racism causing ‘all’ the murders. If you simply lack the knowledge to differentiate causation and correlation you see racism. If you’d realise that despite being a minority ‘blacks’ perform a vast majority of all crimes in the USA and therefore represent the largest group in prison, then you’d see that is not racism.

            #TakeAKnee is a joke, racism is real, of that I do not have any doubt, but terrorist groups like ‘Black Lives Matter’ do not help one bit.

            And as I have written many times the very small percentage of cops that does not act correct should not represent all cops, in similar fashion that not all muslims are terrorists. It shows an absolute disrespect to the gigantic corps that protects and serves the people every single day.

            1. quote me one law that is inherently disadvantaging minorities.

              @flatsix
              gerrymandering

            2. @jimbo0070 Which has to happen every 10 years, and regardless of political views is always done in favour of the ruling party. Nothing new under the sun here. So, by definition it is not racist to divide land into choosing districts, a flawed system and a flawed way of dividing chairs, sure. Racist, no.

            3. The 100-to-1 rule. Possession of crack cocaine had a criminal sentence 100 times longer than possession of the same ammount of cocaine, and that disproportionately hit black and poor people, who couldn’t afford cocaine.

              Obama reduced this to 18-to-1, which is still too much considering the damage that each form of cocaine causes to the user.

              “13th”, an Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winner documentary, available at streaming services, offers a great view on that subject

            4. Sorry @flatsix but I don’t agree with you. It happens every few years in many districts. Its not really about who does it but who it affects. In many cases it splits districts that are predominantly populated by an ethnic minority. Hence they can’t vote in the politician they should be able to do. In those cases its arguably racist.

            5. +1

              50+ years of fine motorsport being ruined by liberalism run amok…

              I guess I will start getting better sleep instead of watching F1 at 7AM.

            6. In the US, employers are also allowed to ask for the race of a job applicant. This inherently allows racial discrimination in the selection process. In Canada this is not allowed, one cannot even ask the age of the applicant.

            7. Brilliant @flatsix, spot on.

            8. @Daniel, does that rule allow judges to impose the same sentencing on both blacks and white people, that means if you are caught with either form of cocaine you receive the same sentence as one would of another skin colour. Therefore the law is not racist. But again, whether it is fair is up for debate.

              If I read up on it I do notice words like ‘unfair’ or ‘counterproductive’ but never racist. Also here again applies the same as I wrote above, if you’d realise that most drug dealers in the USA according to a research I believe I read in 2014 are white how is the rule racist? Cops don’t drive into neighbourhoods thinking ‘who can we catch today!’. Also a harder punishment on minorities who fail to manage a high percentage of kids who finish school perhaps should be persuaded to not do drugs (I know, crazy) by bigger punishments. So, again, perhaps a flawed law, but inherently not racist as it could affect whatever country you are from or skin colour you have equally.

              @Wooolfy I highly doubt ‘a majority’ of interviewers would actually break that law as it is indeed not allowed in the USA either, one that even is present since the ’60s. I’m interested if you can show figures proving it is a systemic issue rather than something you’ve heard anekdotes about. Absolutely open to read up on it. I don’t want to marginalise this as I’m sure it happens, just not on a scale that would qualify my definition of ‘systemic’, or ‘organised by evil corporates’ if you will.

              In similar fashion I believe you cannot ask whether someone is pregnant, what religion one practices or even if he or she uses drugs. Honestly, things I would like to know before I hire someone. But whether one prays to a can of tuna or a made up dude the best candidate should always come out on top.

              On the other hand and I believe we see that more and more in Europe you have positive discrimination (which is another word for discrimination against majorities) where people of coloured skin or ‘exotic’ ethnicities get hired just for the sake of it. There is nothing more that I hate than women for example demanding a certain presence percentage in a board. Get there on merit I tell you.

            9. @Daniel If you’re up for a good read on the drug use.

              https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4533860/

            10. Quoted from @flatsix – “If you’d realise that despite being a minority ‘blacks’ perform a vast majority of all crimes in the USA and therefore represent the largest group in prison, then you’d see that is not racism.”

              This is a stunningly false and prejudicial statement. Please provide citation for this rather bold declaration. Hint, the falsity of your statement is very easy to discover.

              I’d really like to see a different direction in our human discourse. Sadly, bigotry against people of color has a long history in the US. It is not something humans are born with, but rather what some are taught. In my own lifetime there were still places with whites only, coloreds not allowed until civil rights were passed and enforced. As a white man married to a black woman for over thirty years I have some insight into the reality of racial relations in the USA.

              I received a threatening call from the KKK on our private number from someone who knew our number, our full names, address and would not reveal anything about themselves or how they got this information. (Probably from someone we knew.) Another time our car was sabotaged by two white supremacists. They took all the lug nuts off one of my wheels right before we got back on the freeway. My wheel came off at about 70MPH. Fortunately I maintained control and did not roll my vehicle or hit anyone else. There are other incidents we suffered simply because hateful people were prejudiced against my wife and me too for being with her.

              How do we stop the hate? I don’t have a problem with peaceful protests bringing attention to let people know a problem exists. I do not have a problem with people who have different – skin color, religion, political views, nationality or other differences as long as they do not by their very nature advocate evil, violence or harm on others. We are stronger with inclusion than with exclusion.

              Something I read recently that hit home. “Everyone needs compassion. Everyone knows pain.” If we keep hate going, that is what we will multiply. If we show love, that will multiply even if it is one heart at a time. Most people I have ever met in all parts of the world want the same things for their family and friends and all others in the world, peace and safety. When they have that they are happy.

              I don’t really have a strong opinion about whether Lewis should take a knee or not. I think a better, stronger statement would be to make a donation to the relief efforts in Puerto Rico. But, that is just my opinion.

            11. @bullmello I’ll rephrase, or perhaps just quote;

              In 2013, the FBI has black criminals carrying out 38 per cent of murders, compared to 31.1 per cent for whites. The offender’s race was “unknown” in 29.1 per cent of cases.

              What about violent crime more generally? FBI arrest rates are one way into this. Over the last three years of data – 2011 to 2013 – 38.5 per cent of people arrested for murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault were black.

              Clearly, these figures are problematic. We’re talking about arrests not convictions, and high black arrest rates could be taken as evidence that the police are racist.

              But academics have noted that the proportion of black suspects arrested by the police tends to match closely the proportion of offenders identified as black by victims in the National Crime Victimization Survey.

              This doesn’t support the idea that the police are unfairly discriminating against the black population when they make arrests.

              So why are black offenders – and young black men in particular – over-represented in America’s crime statistics?

              Judging from online comments, there is a wide spectrum of views on this, from unapologetic racism to militant refusal to blame the problem on anything but historic white racism.

            12. @flatsix, good read, that pretty much confirms my opinion. It’s hard to find openly racist or sexist laws in a large democracy nowadays (except for executive orders imposing generic travel bans on entire populations from some countries), but supposedly ”neutral” laws can have differential impacts on different social groups. Also, some policial practices are long pointed as race-biased, like stop-and-frisk procedures.

      3. @wesley

        Pretty sure that none of this protesting is in aim of disrespecting soldiers, but most definitely is about freedom.

        1. Which what the soldiers fought and continue to fight for. I really don’t get the “disrespecting our soldiers” argument. There simply isn’t one.

          1. Topless Robot Nun
            1st October 2017, 1:29

            It’s not an argument at all, just an attempt to rile up an angry crowd. When your opponent is reduced to trying to muddy the water by using emotive terms like that, it means he’s lost the debate and he knows it.

          2. Go back to last year and you will understand…It all started with Kaepernick dissing his country. It has nothing to do with Solidarity with the Players. It’s about solidarity with Kaepernick and what he stood for.

      4. He can do whatever he wants if he doesn’t hurt anyone. Just because you are not an american doesn’t mean you can’t have an opinion. That’s what those soldiers died for. Not for some obsession about a piece of cloth and some music.

      5. +Wesley
        Enough with the crap about “disrespecting our soldiers”. Many soldiers have said there is no issue with it, also, the anthem and the protest have nothing whatsoever to do with soldiers. You want to be upset about disrespected soldiers? Then be outraged over Donald Trump’s comments on prisoner’s of war, John Mccain, and the numerous insults he hurled at five star families who’s son’s died in battle. Be outraged at the disproportionate number of veterans who make up the ranks of the homeless in the U.S. while the government does little to help them once they use them up. You people are full of it.

      6. It’s not about disrespecting the military at all. That’s the spin that Trump is putting on it because it plays well with his base.

        1. Precisely, Bob Sanderson !
          Hamilton believes he’s making a jesture of solidarity.
          Which he is perfectly entitled to do under whatever
          circumstances arise. The Trump Whitehouse is ruining
          vital aspects of the world’s respect for the U.S. A great
          many of us really wish the situation would improve,
          but know quite well that it never will whilst the distorted,
          irrational, often disgusting and outragious statements the
          current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue feels free
          to vent like some fairground showman the worse for
          alchohol.

          Many of us believe that persons in a position to influence
          matters in a positive way should be free to express their
          rejection of seriously offensive behaviour in the powerful.
          If you object to my views you are as free as me to express
          your own.

      7. Your country’s president is endorsed by white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan. A lot of us are in solidarity with the oppressed sections of your population, not the racists. It’s our business too, tough if you don’t like it.

      8. I never got this connection between a song honouring a state and some soldiers. But I also never understood why they play national anthems if it isn’t even an international event, but all American teams.

      9. All publicity was good publicity according to Ecclestone.

    3. You either do it or you don’t , but talking to the press that you might or might not is just asking for attention.

      1. So you believe that Lewis instigated this story.
        You don’t think he was asked a question, answered it, and was then quoted.
        😞😞

        It’s Good to Talk.

      2. True that….

      3. I don’t think he will, and if he doesn’t talking to the press about it is one way to bring the issue deserved attention.

        As an Australian I agree completely with Hamilton saying it’s a global thing. The issue is a serious one, worthy of consideration.

      4. @montalvo On the other hand you could read what he actually said (presumably in response to a question). I’ll post it again here to save you having to actually read beyond the headline:

        “I have not thought about it,” Hamilton added. “I’ve not even thought about that race but of course I will have to start to think about it — what would be right for me to do or do I even need to get involved?”

      5. is just asking for attention

        @montalvo Your point being…?

        1. That you lose the impact of the matter if you already make it a thing weeks before the event. Lewis seems to be more concerned what the cool kids expect of him. That said, it would be incredibly stupid for a non-American to ‘take a knee’, the whole thing is about American athletes loving the country, but ‘not my president’. Guess what, Lewis is British, it already baffles me he is considering it.

          It’s like that ‘ice-bucket challenge’, when people thought pooring a bucket of tapwater over yourself was the cool thing to do, you know, instead of donating to the ALS research charity. The whole point of ‘taking the knee’ gets lost when non-American atlethes join in to make political statements, just like the ice-bucket lost it’s meaning.

          1. JoeNew for Haas
            1st October 2017, 6:59

            You mean the challenge that raised a bunch of money for ALS and lead to a breakthrough?

            https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Ice_Bucket_Challenge#/Impact

            As for international support, sure it never helped anything.

            http://wiki.dickinson.edu/index.php/INTERNATIONAL_RESPONSES_TO_APARTHEID

            1. Sources from wikipedia are never accepted in a collegiate environment, so why should we accept them here? Anybody can write in and edit those.

      6. Lewis has a big ego, but I prefer that to 22 puppets on the grid.

    4. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”
      -Colin Kaepernick interview at NFL.com with Steve Wych in 2016

      It’s his views that many people in US, especially veterans, have taken objection to. Whatever his good intentions may be, it doesn’t get your message across when people become offended.

      1. Whatever his good intentions may be, it doesn’t get your message across when people become offended.

        Yes it does. Some people were offended by Martin Luther King. Some people were offended by Gandhi.

        And, to drag us back within the vicinity of motorsport, some people were offended when Jackie Stewart said wouldn’t it be nice if crashing an F1 car meant a trip to hospital instead of a morgue.

        Of course it’s not always necessary or justified or worthwhile to cause offence. But sometimes it is.

        1. Topless Robot Nun
          1st October 2017, 1:34

          Nobody “causes” offence. Nothing is universally offensive. People make a conscious choice to take offence, and nine times out of ten it has little to do with the content of what was actually said but is more about their pre-existing attitude towards the supposed offender and/or an underhanded method of trying to shut your opponent down when you know you’ve lost the debate. It’s pathetic.

      2. Whatever his good intentions may be, it doesn’t get your message across when people become offended.

        This is 21st century planet Earth. People are be offended by absolutely anything, no matter how the issue is raised. As long as there is freedom of speech and expression there is inherently the “freedom” to be offended.

      3. People were offended by Mohammad Ali. “My enemy’s right here at home…I’ll die right here, fighting you…” Now that is offensive.

        Funny how the people offended by kneeling during the anthem are the same ones saying America is too sensitive and politically correct.

        Kneeling silently is about the most respectful way you could protest. I wonder if Ali would have kneeled quitely.

        “Fellow Americans, if you could be so kind consider some of us respectful citizens feel we are being treated less than fairly by the police.”

        I hope Hamilton stays out of this. His papers might end up out of order or he might get caught with drugs.

        He could also create a war between Merc, the President, and conservatives. I’d be inclined to spare my team the drama.

    5. If Lewis is receiving (and accepting) good advice he will not take a knee at Austin. And if Dieter Zetsche and Toto Wollf are smart they will talk with Lewis and give him sad advice. This would be terrible publicity for Mercedes Benz.

      1. Yes how dare one of their drivers be against racism. That would be awful publicity.

        1. there is far more black>white racism in the US than there is white>black, it just doesn’t fit their agenda.

      2. This would be terrible publicity for Mercedes Benz.

        Did you prepare a second comment explaining your reasoning or are we just leaving it at that?

        1. @ninjenius
          As an American I didn’t need any elaboration. So…

          I’d be shocked if at least 60% the population doesn’t consider this disrespectful. And I’m sure at least 20% think players should be thrown off the field, fired, etc.

          I have family that still use derogatory nationalist terms to describe German and Japanese cars.

          I can also tell you motorsports enthusiasts here trend conservative.

          No, Circuit of the Americas is not a good place to take a knee during the anthem, at least if considering comsequences.

          1. As an American I didn’t need any elaboration. So…

            @slotopen And? Until this year I worked and lived in America for 5 years… in the deep south… I’m not asking for everything to be spelt out, I just like to see people making the effort to explain their reasoning otherwise you don’t know exactly what angle they’re coming from.

            I have family that still use derogatory nationalist terms to describe German and Japanese cars.

            There’s a slight difference between protesting against racial inequality and the actions of the Germans and Japanese in the 1940s. If people were to hold Mercedes in the same level of contempt that says a hell of a lot more about those people than it does Mercedes.

            1. It requires no explanation because it is self-evident. The polls show a majority of Americans view these protests during the national anthem as disrespectful or worse. And if there were splits available amongst the demographic comprising current and potential Mercedes owners that split would skew even further against.

      3. Yeah he already caused a stir earlier this year by not going to the F1 Live in London. When it’s your own people you’re upsetting and then can justify it by missing the next race and your home race, it’s easier to forgive. When upsetting people from another country, in conservative Texas who went out to build an F1 track so F1 could return to America, it’s no good. Specifically since there are stars and stripes on the actual track. I think they are doing something massive for breast cancer and the Susan G. Komen foundation at the race and there is going to be a ton of pink, so I really don’t see the kneeling being a story for the weekend. Force India may be popular though with their livery.

        1. I meant winning the next race

    6. Lewis, please…
      Where were you during the Bahrein GP? Let’s not pretend like the USA is worse than the average middle eastern country, considering human rights.

      1. You are allowed to support some causes without having to support all causes you know, I’m sure you are just a font of charity and not one child goes hungry in the viscinity of your home, but the rest of us have lives and jobs and so we pick one or two that we can really focus on.

        1. And whatever you pick to focus on just happens to be trending twitter at the moment, give me a break.

    7. I hope he doesn’t do it. He can personally support the ’cause’ without dragging F1 into the issue, and doing this will just give his existing haters a stick to beat him with.

      1. With that kind of limp attitude, nothing would ever change for the good.

        1. You have to pick your battles to win the war. This is one battle I don’t think has many positives. I may be wrong, but I feel this action may not move things along in a helpful way. Even Gandhi refused to fight, but did he win…or lose?

          Lewis can be an inspiration, by focusing on winning and rising above it all. By showing that skin colour or modest background is no barrier to success. By being a role model to all those who may otherwise lack hope, or confidence.

          1. It’s his call to make. I’m sure it would inspire more people than it would alienate though. Those taking offence are very unlikely to be supporters of any Afro-American cause, ever. In fact, I don’t see how it would be a protest if it didn’t offend someone! Surely it’s precisely the kind of peaceful protest Gandhi had in mind?

            1. Agreed. If he does it – I hope for the best, I really do. It’s a tough call.

          2. Being the first and only black F1 driver AND one of the best in history, he’s already done that, and so he can afford to go political. Muhammad Ali did that.

            Lewis is as important as Tiger Woods or as the Williams sisters in terms of providing inspiration to black athletes and black young people in general, by succeeding in an overwhelmingly white sport. In that aspect, he is even more important than Pelé or Usain Bolt, the best athletes of already multiracial sports.

      2. So you’re more interested in maintaining the integrity of F1, but not that of people asking to be treated as equals to their white counterparts?

      3. Topless Robot Nun
        1st October 2017, 1:38

        Doesn’t make a lot of difference. In the absence of a legitimate stick with which to beat Lewis, his haters will just invent one. Anything other than confess their real reason.

    8. I really hope he does just so Mercedes can get some more use out of Nicos old knee pad.

    9. Isn’t this the same guy who loves travelling to USA to create his gangster rap albums

        1. Maybe he shouldn’t go there if he doesn’t like it…

          1. You missed the point. He doesn’t like the racism endemic to many of the US’s systems.

            1. Monaco’s ‘because I’m black’ embarrassment has let us all know he’s too overly sensitive on this subject, so it’s not worth discussing his views. But if he feels so strongly, he could miss the race and make a real statement. Maybe he’s not interested in doing anything with any real substance.

            2. Except you are discussing Hamilton’s views. And years after his ‘maybe because I’m black’ Ali-G quote. Overly sensitive? Well, depends how keen you are on being at the receiving end of racial abuse, being mocked by Spanish fans because of your colour, being referred to in racist terms by disgraced former F1 team leaders, etc. Ever experienced that? If not, maybe you’re in little position to judge what ‘over sensitive’ might mean. Or perhaps you think people were ‘over sensitive’ about public lynchings in the south? That kind of thing. Tell us.

            3. There is barely any racism by white towards black people in the USA. Meanwhile, lately, there is a LOT of racism by black towards white people.

            4. @Bammolo I’m sorry, is this some attempt at sarcasm?

            5. @bammolo

              Seriously man… you gotta take another look around.

          2. I think he likes it and therefore wants it to become a better place with less racism and violence.

      1. Precisely because of that. He is inspired by black americans, like so many black (and white) britishs before him, and rightfully supports their protests against racism

    10. While I agree with the statement, I would feel uncomfortable with a guest in the US doing it to their national anthem. Maybe take a knee before the anthem starts like I believe some did last week. It’s a dangerous area, particularly with the race being in the south and trying to win over fans their. However you have to go with what you believe in.

      1. The Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer will trump all of this flag nonesense at COTA. I’d be careful insulting Texas though more than the rest of the U.S.

    11. Aaannnd….. we’re off!

    12. Same article:

      Hamilton has “not thought about” joining the ‘take a knee’ anthem protest at US GP.
      “Do I even need to get involved?” the British racer added.

    13. Racism in the USA needs to be addressed. I have lived here for the last 40 years.
      Lewis is black and he stands up for his brothers that get killed senselesly by white cops… Racism does not know borders, hat off to you Lewis Hamilton.

    14. Lewis always trying to be like the “cool kids”. This will put off a lot of american fans for sure, of which I am one of (and have been since the early 2000s). If they want to speak about these issues, go for it but these silent protests at entertainment events where the audience wants to escape politics and other crap is pointless. The discussion just becomes about them kneeling and disrespecting the flag, not at all about whatever “message” they’re trying to convey. Kapernick started it but its lost its meaning now as it just seems to be another Anti-Trump protest. Very few NFL players kneeled before Trump called them SOBs, they all could’ve joined Kapernick last year if they wanted to unify but chose not to. So what is it they are protesting? Its ridiculous.

      1. I hope he does it but doubt he will. You’re right, it’s partly become a protest against Trump but there is no question that the original intention of Kaepernick is also retained because it’s mentioned in every article on the subject therefore reinforcing both his original point and Trump’s attempt to turn public opinion against any issue he disagrees with. Trump, and probably a lot of the US population, need to realise that he is considered an absolute joke by the rest of the world and is severely damaging the US’s credibility every time he opens his mouth and the protest spreading to non-US citizens helps show how the world perceives both this issue and other aspects of the Trump administration.

      2. A flag that also flew over a country that allowed slavery, betrayal and extermination of the native peoples, and racial segregation until the middle of the last century.

      3. The only people he will put off are white Americans

      4. where the audience wants to escape politics and other crap is pointless

        Tough luck. Those forced to live in a world that treats them as less just because of the colour of their skin don’t get a choice about it. Politics is everywhere and everything – there is no escape. Are people really so delicate that a race weekend is ruined because someone kneels during a song? That sounds pretty pathetic to me…

        1. From http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/30/golden-state-warriors-stand-national-anthem-take-a-knee-donald-trump-tweets-stephen-curry/ , before Saturday’s first preseason NBA game between the Warriors and the Nuggets, who all stood for the anthem.

          Nuggets coach Michael Malone spoke at length about anthem protests before Saturday’s game, saying:
          “My personal message to the guys is that it’s easy to take a knee. What are you doing the other six days of the week to really bring about change, to really get to the root of the problem?”

          and from Draymond Green, of obviously the hugely successful and most vocal NBA team who again chose to stand not kneel –

          “There wasn’t a discussion or a decision. We said what we had to say. Everybody knows we don’t need to do anything else to show where we stand. Everyone knows where we stand. People make what they want out of it. It’s at a point now where everyone knows where the conversation started. It’s about capitalizing on that and making things better. [Kaepernick] made the statement a year ago. I don’t knock anybody for doing what they want to do or what they feel they need to do. But the conversation started at this point. The more you make gestures, that becomes the conversation.”

    15. well…i guess he could have his shades, and earbuds on with umbrella in tow for the national anthem….not sure if FOM will allow him to sit inside his car though….

    16. Nesto, I find your response very disturbing…
      The protests are about Black People getting randomly killed, how is protesting this ridiculous…?

      1. Blacks are the only people shooting blacks at random in America. You wanna know what’s disturbing? The fact that black males make up ~7% of the U.S. population but they commit over 50% of the homicides and ~40% of overall violent crime. Also a disturbing fact is that 75% of black males are raised in a single mother household. And we know that kids raised by a single mother, are far more likely to have trouble in life, than kids raised by in a traditional family.

        More unarmed whites than blacks are shot by the police. Even though young black males are many times more likely to have run-ins with law enforcement. A Harvard study conducted by a black professor concluded that cops are more likely to hesitate shooting a black suspect than a white suspect. Why? Because cops know that even if it’s a justified shooting they run the risk of creating a media firestorm anytime they shoot a black suspect.

        And as a reminder these “protests” started in part because of the “hands up don’t shoot” narrative built around the Michael Brown shooting. It was a narrative that was proven to be completely false. Brown was not some innocent kid who had his hands up when he was shot. That did not stop the media from running with the narrative, which lead to riots in Ferguson, until later on when they had to admit that it was a lie. But by then the damage had already been done.

        As for Hamilton. Why did this clown not take a knew in China, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Singapore etc? Hell he wont even talk about the issues in those countries. Probably because he’s a virtue signaling fraud.

      2. No black person has ever been “randomly shot” by a cop in the streets.

    17. If he does, I hope he takes also “takes a knee” in Abu Dhabi…

    18. Hamilton gas said he would ‘consider’ taking a knee, that does not mean that he will. It’s still three weeks till the grands prix, so this scandal will have lost a lot of edge.
      Lewis can do what he wants, it won’t stop me from watching this sport. If people turn against F1 over this then their heart was never in it anyway, they never were
      true fans in the first place. I can remember the debacle of Indianapolis twelve years ago which damaged F1’s image in America tremendously. No one wants to see that happen, but this is different.
      With Liberty Media at the helm as opposed to Bernie Ecclestone the sport appears to have reinvented its image in a more modern, positive light. However, as I said, I don’t think Lewis will do it.

    19. Peppermint-Lemon (@)
      30th September 2017, 20:24

      I think Hamilton is actually demonstrating just how disconnected he is from the real world.

      He is simply a media puppet who allows the same mgmt team that worked with the Spice Girls to project political, marketing and social beliefs that they think will “make him popular”…

      It would not be appropriate for him to kneel during the Malaysian anthem.. It is not his anthem, he is not American.

      Hamilton needs to educate himself to the needs and wants of his own country, team and sport.

      This is just another awkward moment in his career. He is like Eddie Jordan, Jacques Villeneuve, Eddie Irvine and the Spice Girls all rolled into one… Milli Vanilli had more credibility than Hamilton.

    20. Bandwagon jumpers and problem-generating crybullies like him make our world as annoying as we know it. China, Bahrein, Russia, Azerbaijan are immeasurably worse places in terms of human rights than the US, but Hamilton didn’t mind those problems at all when he was there. Just like a modern day feminist, who doesn’t think at all about oppression of women in certain “cultures”, but gets triggered when a guy sits comfortably on the subway.

      1. Sorry but that kind of what-aboutery has been debunked a million times over.

        Just because things are rubbish in one place doesn’t justify it being rubbish everywhere. You don’t climb mountains by leaping to the top.

        Besides, who on earth is Hamilton bullying?

        1. He is bullying entitled white males. Thats a big no-no in the usa

          1. No, that’s actually a big thing in the US nowdays.

            Btw, you forgot the terms “privileged”, “straight” and “cis” from the list fo ephitets. Shame on them, too.

        2. A crybully means a person who’s breaking down discussion of very complicated (social, cultural, etc.) problems into the irrelevant case of his/her emotions about it, claiming to be the victim while taking a passive-agressive stance. It’s a rather unfortunate trend in the US nowdays, and it’s certainly not a trend to be followed by Formula 1 drivers.

          But I guess Hamilton would give anything to reap some more likes and subscribers, if the bizarre ghetto-rapper/Ibiza-DJ image doesn’t work anymore, he’s going to switch into the SJW mode.

    21. I’m sure plenty of advisors from FOM, Mercedes, FIA and the circuit will be suggesting he keeps out of the politics even if it’s just for his own personal safety.

      I’m sure if he wins he will dedicate his victory to the black lives matter cause.

      Takeing the knee will cause a headache for his sponsors but will blow over. I’m guessing very few people offended by it will be purchasers of his sponsors products anyway.

      I hope he does take the knee.

      I’m saddened by the comments of those Americans who don’t understand the reasons for the silent protests. The nations leaders are only now listening because of the peaceful silent symbolic gesture by hi profile athletes that’s grabbing their attention.
      What else do you expect them to do to try and promote change?

      1. What else do you expect them to do to try and promote change?

        @9chris9 It’s a shame most (luckily not all) never tried to actually keep kids in school, warn kids about the dangers of teenage pregnancies, and work towards stable homes for those kids. I firmly believe an educated kid is not a racist.

        1. When and where education itself is racist and sexist, educated kids most likely will reproduce these prejudices…

      2. The whole knee thing was a background issue, until trump said they are sons of b… who should be fired. He actually helped the movement. Probably by accident. And reading Trumps remark on Twitter he didn’t understand all the unity in the NFL last weekend was against him. He is not listening. He lives in a strange world.

    22. He should. Seeing as he is black, and this is a major issue in USA.

      I wouldnt hold it against him 1 bit.

      1. I agree 100%

      2. He is a multi-millionaire who makes money driving cars. if he thinks he is being oppressed trying living in Iran, North Korea or Cuba. give me a break.

    23. If he does. I’ll detest him for the rest of my life. Disregarding his on-track performances.
      Keep your politics away from my sport.
      I’d even arrest him on the spot to solve this ridiculous trend for once and for all.

      1. Arrest him for what. Are there laws against this type of protest?

        Besides why is this ‘your’ sport any more than his.

        1. @tiya Agreed (the comment below is intended for @xiasitlo)

    24. I’m really interested to know how kneeling during your national anthem is disrespectful. I come from a country where fanatical patriotism is not commonplace, so perhaps this is too alien for me to understand, but I can’t see how an unorthodox stance during the anthem to draw attention to an issue is any less respectful than standing.

      Trump has made this about disrespect, not the athletes kneeling.

      1. JoeNew for Haas
        1st October 2017, 3:01

        Inject a few loudmouth blowhards who hate anything that may present the military and the police in a less than stellar light and you’re well on your way to understanding the issue.

    25. Looks like this is slowly evolving into a discussion of the Americans and their racial tensions. Lewis shouldn’t get involved in this mess, because it would be hypocritical of him. He has stood and respected the Bahraini national anthem for several years during the races there – Bahrain has a heavily oppressed Shi’a majority who protest and get shot pretty much every Friday somewhere on the island. Will Lewis also protest the Chinese national anthem, because of the human rights situation in China? How about the rights of south Asian workers in Abu Dhabi, where even the race marshals are overworked, underpaid Bangladeshis and Indians? Will he protest the corruption in Azerbaijan? What of Russia?
      As for BlackLivesMatter – speaking as a black person myself, I find this group despicable and full of hypocrisy. Over 7,000 blacks were shot dead in America last year. Of these, 233 were killed by cops. The rest – 97% – were shot and killed by fellow blacks. That leftist activists have quietly ignored the 97% while making all sorts of noises about the 3% just shows how hypocritical they are.
      Lewis should not get involved. He has been getting a bit vocal with his politics of late, but his dad should pull him aside and tell him to focus on driving.

      1. That “97%” statistic is a notorious lie put about by Trump and his supporters:

        https://qz.com/556988/here-are-four-charts-on-race-and-murder-in-america-to-tweet-back-at-donald-trump/

        1. There is a source provided. And it’s 2015. Your stats are for 2014. Anyway, your stats showing that blacks killing far more whites than whites killing blacks. That’s just shows that african americans are among most racist people on this planet. We have few blacks here, but they are mostly from central and southern Africa. There are no problems with them, they are absolutely fine people. And they are not exploiting racism card for preferences.

        2. “The FBI released its official crime tally for 2016 today, and the data flies in the face of the rhetoric that professional athletes rehearsed in revived Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend. Nearly 900 additional blacks were killed in 2016 compared with 2015, bringing the black homicide-victim total to 7,881.”

          “Who is killing these black victims? Not whites, and not the police, but other blacks.”

          https://www.city-journal.org/html/hard-data-hollow-protests-15458.html

      2. I find it odd that you can talk freely about human rights abuses in Abu Dhabi etc. – and I agree entirely that these exist – yet you don’t see a similar kind of structural racism at work in the US. Clearly BlackLivesMatter is about more than the disproportionate police killings, these are taken as the symptom of much broader discrimination. As for Hamilton, you contradict yourself. You accuse him of hypocrisy by ignoring political issues elsewhere in the world, but then suggest ‘his dad’ should tell him to focus on driving. So which is it? Expand his awareness of issues and his engagement in them, or lead a quieter life in blissful ignorance and safe from controversy? Is there really an adult choice to be made there? You kind of give away the answer by suggesting he should revert to being a child…

    26. Everyone has a right to protest.. That being said Hamilton is a Tax Dodge staying in Monoco.. I dont want this guy Lecturing USA if he is avoiding paying taxes for the same people he says he is representing and supporting.. Poor
      and/or color people of any country..

    27. See why it’s better to just focus on the racing and leave the politics out of it? What’s wrong with his dad having a chat with him, hasn’t Hamilton himself previously said that he consults his dad a lot when making big decisions?
      As for the numbers Keith posted – that was for 2014, right? The posting above talks about 2016, no?
      And the hair splitting is pointless, because it loses the bigger point. Even taking the 2014 numbers posted by Keith, you still have 90% of Black homicides carried out by fellow Blacks. If you are going to protest about the 10% and ignore the 90%, you’re being a hypocrite.
      This is the sort of social minefield that Hamilton is headed for of he decides to get involved in this sort of politics.

    28. As an american that supports the NFL players that have taken a knee during the anthem, it would seem very odd to me for Hamilton to come here and take a knee as well. That he’s not an American adds a complex layer to his protest. It’s an international event and he’s a guest, so I feel like honoring each country’s national anthem is less of an “I endorse everything this country does” and more of a “Thank you for hosting us.” Protesting that just seems sort of tone deaf.

      Has Hamilton protested anthems of other countries as well with examples of systematic human rights abuses? Bahrain, Russia or Azerbaijan, for example? If I saw some consistency on that then sure, I’d be okay, but this seems a little too much like bandwagoning.

    29. Newsflash people – the fans over here interested in F1 are not Trump supporters.

    30. In 2014, over 6,000 blacks were murdered, more than all white and Hispanic homicide victims combined. Police did not kill them; other blacks killed them . In fact, a police officer is 18.5 times more likely to be killed by an armed black suspect than an unarmed black man is likely to be killed by a police officer., according to a article by MacDonald.
      http://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/09/28/police-targeting-blacks-myth-opinion/713107001/

      If it’s a protest about Donald Trump, that is a different story,however I hope Lewis does not consider either.

      1. While black on black homicides are a disproportionate number of deaths, where do you start by protesting that? Presumably when a black civilian kills a black civilian, it’s a crime, and if that person is caught, they’re tried, convicted and sentenced. The system works as it should. That person is deemed a criminal and treated as such. There are significant social forces at work that make black-on-black killings an issue that’s not really “protestable” in any unifying way.

        I think the hay being made over the ‘relatively small’ number of black people killed by police is that those police, nearly universally, aren’t treated in any way as a criminal when the officer has clearly operated well outside the framework of what is acceptable. Protesting the impunity with which the police can kill unarmed black people and face no consequences for it seems to be a pretty sensible thing.

    31. I’m done with F1…

      1. JoeNew for Haas
        1st October 2017, 2:57

        Oh no. Your fee fees are threatened by someone you’ve never met!

        1. What makes you think he’s threatened?

    32. Poor Lewis is in a no win situation here, if he kneels he is disrespecting American ideals, if he doesn’t kneel he is disrespecting American ideals.

    33. Read Heather MacDonald on crime statistics in the USA.

      1. JoeNew for Haas
        1st October 2017, 3:13

        Read all of an MLK speech first.

    34. I find it interesting that the NFL players took a knee for the American Anthem but stood for the British anthem. The majority of slaves brought to the US were carried in British ships. Even after Britain outlawed slavery their merchant shippers were still transporting slaves to American shores. Most slaves were captured and sold to these shippers by other tribes. I think Hamilton should stay away from this protest as it will hurt his popularity in this country. The majority of Americans who live outside the liberal coastal centers are opposed to the protests.

      1. Well said.

    35. I like how Lewis extracts the maximum from the car. It’s too bad everyone is talking right past each other. Peace

      1. My respect level for him is rising because he might. Others in the paddock should, too.

    36. Keep politics out of sport. Show respect for the country that nurtures you. It’s too easy – organise your protests on the streets like everyone else. That will take some effort, though.

    37. @daved You’ve been very busy flying the flag of reason and calm in this forum – thank you for your hard work. I’m a white guy with a black/mixed race family and I’ve seen some shocking racism at close quarters. I’ve also seen warmth and acceptance of my family members by unexpected groups, uncovering my own incorrect preconceptions. Hatred and intolerance is awful; thoughtless, lazy prejudice is far more common and just as hard to overcome. Thank you for your eloquently stated arguments.

      1. Thank you, @ tribaltalker

        It is really sad to see people saying racist things either intentionally or through ignorance. I’m not sure what to do when you present evidence and yet people still cling to their ignorance. It was really frustrating to watch nick take a very poor study with no valid data and quote it like religious doctrine in the face of any evidence to show it’s flawed.
        It’s very clear from study after study that poor people, of any race and any country, are forced into higher crime rates. It’s desperation and a simply tradeoff of risk vs. reward…”what do you have to lose anyway?”.

        But nick was determined to blame “black people” and thinks it’s ok because his wife is Polynesian. Seriously?

        Very frustrating.

    38. Lewis the race is in Texas. They don’t take kindly to that. We broke off from your country and it would be an ultimate sign of disrespect to the people watching at the race if you went on their soil and took a knee during their anthem. F1’s new owners are American and they’re trying to promote a second race in the states in the upcoming years. F1 has already had bad blood in the U.S. F1 needs the U.S. more than the U.S. needs F1. Keep that in mind when you decide.

    39. It is amazing how many people put in words what their thoughts / feelings are and tend to call them ‘facts’, when they are at the very best a bit of a fact, if factual at all. I read many of the comments and it digressed to police shooting innocent people………………. It is easy for me, if L. Ham does not show proper respect to the United States of America who let him enter the country and compete (making millions of dollars like the NFL players) then I will boycott the Austin race as well as the rest of the F1 season. The boycott is not an easy decision for me as I have been a fan of F1 and its predecessors for over 4 decades. Thanks, RacerNorriski

    40. Nuts, I forgot to mention that I have not watched any NFL games this year which is painful due to the fact that I am a Denver Bronco fan and it seems that they may do very well this year. RacerNorriski PS I may start watching UK football as Chelsea is my team having lived there for a couple years back when it was not occupied by russian mafia.

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