Police violence: strong gestures are multiplying on the football fields

On this Saturday, marked by numerous demonstrations against police violence and racism, after the death of George Floyd in the United States, German footballers showed their commitment and their opposition to racism.

During the match between Bayern Munich and Leverkusen (4-2), the players of the two richest and most successful teams in German football came to warm-up with t-shirts evoking the current protest movement world. "Red card to racism", proclaimed the chests of the stars of Bayern, who then played with an armband marked "BlackLivesMatter" (Black lives matter).

#BlackLivesMatter #RotgegenRassismus pic.twitter.com/hZiCE58iA9

Dortmund, who was playing at home and still behind closed doors against Hertha Berlin, warmed up with black t-shirts with two inscriptions: "No Justice, No Peace", one of the slogans of protesters in the United States, and the words "Black, White, Yellow, Red" crossed out and underlined with the word "Human".

b̶l̶a̶c̶k̶
̶w̶h̶i̶t̶e̶
̶y̶e̶l̶l̶o̶w̶
̶r̶e̶d̶
HUMAN pic.twitter.com/o7jwICHlZX

Before kick-off, players from Dortmund and Hertha gathered around the center circle to observe a minute's silence on one knee, imitating the now symbolic gesture of NFL (American Football League) player Colin Kaepernick, become a voice for protests in the United States against police violence.

VIDEO. How the knee on the ground became the symbol of nonviolent protest

Last week and again this weekend, players from other teams made personal gestures in tribute to George Floyd. This had been the case for Marcus Thuram, the Borussia Mönchengladbach striker, son of Lilian or the Liverpool team, reigning European champion, before training.

Newsletter - The essentials of the news

I'm registering

Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more

Bayern Munich central back Jérôme Boateng, born to a Ghanaian father, on Thursday called on his white colleagues to manifest their convictions more openly. "All the white athletes who are not currently speaking are not racists, obviously," he said, "but of course it is desirable that they also use their notoriety for this cause. "

In France, the defender of PSG, Layvin Kurzawa, was also mobilized during a parade in tribute to Adama Traoré. This Saturday, forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting signed up.

View this post on Instagram

✊🏼✊🏾✊🏿Hamburg-city 🇩🇪! Get up, stand up for your rights ❗️ #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Choupo-Moting (@ mr.choupo) on Jun 6, 2020 at 10:08 am PDT

Currently in Germany, in Hamburg, where he spent his confinement, Choupo-Moting joined the demonstration. He posted photos on Instagram, including one with his partner. "Get up, stand up for your rights! He wrote to accompany them.