East Carolina University band members were met with a chorus off boos for kneeling while playing the national anthem. After the anthem, the members who decided to kneel were booed for doing so.
They were booed again when they came out to do the halftime show.
Several @ECUBand members kneel in protest during national anthem. pic.twitter.com/kXZHWafgKs
— Jeff Gravley (@JGravleySPORTS) October 1, 2016
A handful of the ECU Marching Band kneeled during the national anthem, then got booed off the field and booed again during halftime…☠️
— Jansen Kidd (@jansenkidd97) October 1, 2016
Boos rain down on ECU's band as it takes the field for the halftime performance.
— Stephen Igoe (@StephenIgoe) October 1, 2016
At ECU football game. Idiot band members kneel for Anthem. Fans boo them off the field. #merica
— Mike Enright (@Menright24) October 1, 2016
The anthem protests come in light of repeated incidents of police violence against African-American men. Colin Kaepernick first protested during the second week of the NFL preseason and has since been joined by a number of athletes, both professional and collegiate.
A few members of the Southern Methodist University band took a knee during the anthem last week. It will be interesting to see if the ECU marching band continues to take a knee in future games and if any other marching bands will join them.
Reaction to the protest has been polarizing, and while there have been many who have been vocal about their disapproval, this is the first time boos have descended upon the protestors.
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