For the past week, the national anthem has played one time per evening at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. On Saturday, the national anthem happened to start while outspoken activist Gwen Berry was standing on the podium after receiving her bronze medal in the hammer throw.
While the national anthem played, Berry placed her left hand on her hip and fidgeted. She took a quarter turn, so she was facing the stands, not the flag in obvious rejection of her country’s national symbols. Toward the end, she plucked up her black T-shirt with the words “Activist Athlete” emblazoned on the front, and draped it over her head.
“I feel like it was a setup, and they did it on purpose,” Berry said of the timing of the anthem. “I was pissed, to be honest.”
According to the Guardian, the 31-year-old has a long history of activism. When she won the gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games, she raised her fist at the end of the national anthem, a “protest” -as she later explained- for the injustice in the US and the presidency of Donald Trump.
Berry’s third place in the qualifiers guarantees her a place in the Olympics and she has promised to use this opportunity to raise public awareness of social injustice issues in the United States.
“My goal and mission is bigger than sports. I am here to represent those who have lost their lives because of systemic racism. This is the most important thing for me”, the athlete has stated.
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Berry’s stance on the US national anthem and the flag has been hotly debated on social media, with many users calling her disrespectful and calling for a ban on her participation in the Olympics.
Berry’s third place in the qualifiers guarantees a place in the Olympics and has promised to use this opportunity to raise public awareness of social injustice issues in the United States. “My goal and mission is bigger than sports. I am here to represent those who have lost their lives because of systemic racism. This is the most important thing for me “, the athlete has stated.
Berry’s stance on the US national anthem has been hotly debated on social media, with many users calling her disrespectful and calling for a ban on her participation in the Olympics.
Thanks to Gwen Berry’s self-serving stunt, I now know who Deanna Price is (she’s on top of the podium) and she seems great…I’ll be rooting for her! pic.twitter.com/brjxMkvqfd
— Angela Morabito (@AngelaLMorabito) June 28, 2021
We have to Do The Right Thing! We have to #FreeGwenBerry! https://t.co/E0Jx0uVbJZ
Gwen Berry Should Be Removed From The U.S. Olympic Team! FREE GWEN! She Should Not Be Forced To Represent A Country She Obviously Hates. Do The Right Thing And FREE GWEN! pic.twitter.com/Tx6V9J4K7X— Ryan Hyatt (@RyanHyattMedia) June 27, 2021
I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY #GwenBerry WOULD WORK AS HARD AS EVERY OLYMPIAN DOES TO ACHIEVE HER GOALS, JUST TO DISGRACE HERSELF WITH TRITE SHOWBOATING THEATRICS TARNISHING HER MOMENT OF GLORY.
WHAT A GESTURE OF HEALING & UNITY IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOR OUR COUNTRY HAD SHE NOT DONE SO.— crazyeyes10950 (@crazyeyes10950) June 28, 2021
