US Navy SEALs investigate fund-raising event in which dogs attack man in Colin Kaepernick jersey
The US Navy SEALs have launched an investigation into a video of a training exercise in which dogs are set upon a man wearing a Colin Kaepernick football jersey.
Kaepernick, who was a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, came to public attention in August 2016 when he refused to stand during the US national anthem in a protest against police brutality.
Other players joined the protests, which were refined with players “taking a knee” on the sidelines, incurring the wrath of newly-elected president Donald Trump in 2017, who called for the dissidents to be fired.
Kaepernick’s stand has polarised opinion in the US as the culture war has intensified, with critics infuriated at what they saw as disrespecting the flag.
The protest brought an end to Kaepernick's NFL career.
The strength of feeling was laid bare when the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida staged a dog training exercise at a fund-raiser.
The video, which was posted in January and went viral over the weekend, shows four dogs attacking the Kaepernick stand-in in quick succession.
In another video, after “Navy SEALs and Navy SEAL dogs take down Colin Kaepernick for not standing during National Anthem,” he moans something like, "Oh man, I will stand” #BecauseFlorida https://t.co/uZ3ervZguB pic.twitter.com/6vi1uCGIt5
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) August 2, 2020
Then, in a second exercise, the dogs and gun-toting Navy SEALs set upon the man for not standing during the national anthem.
The Kaepernick stand-in can be heard moaning “Oh man, I will stand.”
Two years earlier, the museum staged a mock military event in which an SUV painted with"take a knee" was used as a target.
Feelings have intensified since the January video was made, with protests spreading globally after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
Kaepernick’s take a knee protest in support of the Black Lives Matter campaign has been echoed by sportsmen around the world including Premier League footballers in Britain.
While the audience at the demonstration laughed at what they saw as a joke, the incident has caused consternation among SEAL commanders who lead what is regarded as an elite unit of the US armed forces.
“The inherent message of this video is completely inconsistent with the values and ethos of Naval Special Warfare and the US.Navy,” the SEALs said in a statement.
“We are investigating the matter fully, and initial indications are that there were no active-duty Navy personnel or equipment involved with this independent organisation’s event.”
