A symbolic gesture full of meaning. And history. For several days, while the United States has been torn apart over police violence targeting minorities, images of police officers and demonstrators kneeling on the ground have toured social networks.
The gesture, symbol of the protest, recalls of course that of the American football player Colin Kaepernick, in September 2016. With his comrade Eric Reid, he had then decided to kneel instead of standing during the traditional song of the American anthem preceding any match, the "Star Spangled Banner".
His goal? Challenge police violence against minorities. The country was concerned at the deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling by police bullets. "I will not display pride in the flag of a country that oppresses blacks and people of color," had already denounced the player after sitting during the hymn preceding another game.
At this point, the gesture is certainly noticed, and reproduced a few times. But not yet viral. It took more than a year and the wrath of Donald Trump to popularize it further. “We would like to see one of the owners of the NFL (National Football League, Ed), say, when someone does not respect our flag […] Immediately put this son of p *** off the field. Outside! He's fired. “, Was then annoyed the president at a meeting, making direct reference to Colin Kaepernick.
A symbol already advocated by Martin Luther King
In response, many other athletes reproduce the gesture. In the process, 200 players from a good ten different American football teams, coordinate and kneel before their games. This time, they don't just show their support for an abused community. They display, in addition, their support for their colleague vilified by the American president.
The real shame & disrespect is that, decades after the 1st photo, racism STILL kills people & corrupts systems. #America #TakeAKnee @POTUS pic.twitter.com/tRues8mqaH
- Be A King (@BerniceKing) September 23, 2017Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King, also an activist, had also made the connection with images of her father dating from the civil rights movement. During demonstrations against racial segregation in 1965, the famous pastor also knelt down to pray during a demonstration in Selma, Alabama.
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The gesture, of great symbolic significance, also seems to call for peace, faced with the violence of systemic racism in the United States. Bernice's brother, Martin Luther King III, recently released a similar image in honor of George Floyd.
Take a knee. pic.twitter.com/nrQei4hRkM
- Martin Luther King III (@ OfficialMLK3) June 2, 2020Traditionally, kneeling is "a marker of respect, deference and humility" in the face of a "religious figure, a monarch or a partner who is asked to marry," recalls Canadian researcher Ana- Maria Jerca in a study dedicated to the gesture of Colin Kaepernick. In demonstrations for George Floyd, protesters show the same deference to victims of police brutality.
"A gesture of humility"
"This gesture completely reverses the problem and refuses this violence", analyzes André Gunthert, teacher-researcher at the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS), specialist in images and new media. "Refusing police violence is also embodying it with a gesture of humility, which is a gesture of homage, which is a gentle gesture," he continues.
The knee on the ground: the new "symbol of non-violent protest"
A gentle and visually strong gesture. Like this image of the Liverpool FC players, immortalized on June 1 with one knee on the ground, forming a circle in their stadium in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and George Floyd. Or like the young football player Marcus Thuram, son of Lilian Thuram, known for being an important voice in the fight against racism.
If it is first taken up by athletes, it is also because the gesture is a strong marker of solidarity in the community, analyzes Ana-Maria Jarca. On the field, "there is a long tradition of players from two opposing teams who kneel after a player has been seriously injured, as a sign of solidarity, respect and concern for their injured comrade," he says. -she.
In recent days, it is mainly in the street that we see similar scenes. Images of many kneeling protesters were captured across the United States, where daily mobilizations are organized despite curfews and restrictions related to Covid-19.
The knee on the ground has the advantage of not being violent, and may also aim to limit the possible police repression. In many American cities, riots have turned into violent clashes between police and activists. "It is no longer a gesture of power, a gesture of force, but on the contrary a gesture which refuses violence, a gesture which, basically, indicates the stop", analyzes André Gunthert.
DC police take a knee during # protests2020 @ wusa9 pic.twitter.com/j4NNa8LYoh
- Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) May 31, 2020Time out may also be advocated by some police officers. In Miami, New York, Boston, Orlando, Kansas City, Portland, or even Ferguson, a city already marked by similar demonstrations in 2014, police mobilized to supervise the demonstrations chose to deliberately kneel on the ground in support of their movement . A gesture that should greatly displease Donald Trump, who, for his part, recommends the utmost firmness in the face of the demonstrators.