Obama On Kaepernick: He Is Exercising His Constitutional Right

San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is protesting police brutality and race relations in America by sitting (rather than standing) before games for the national anthem. As his silent protest causes much controversy around the nation, President Barack Obama, speaking from the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, spoke in support of Kaepernick’s actions.

“My understanding is that he’s exercising his constitutional right to make a statement,” Obama began, reports the Daily Mail. “There’s a long history of sports figures doing so, I think there are a lot of ways you can do it.”

“As a general matter, when it comes to the flag and the national anthem and the meaning that that holds for the men and women in uniform and those who’ve fought for us, that is a tough thing for them to get past to then hear what his deeper concerns are,” the president continued.

“I think he cares about some real legitimate issues that have to be talked about,” Obama said. “He’s generated more conversation around some topics that have to be talked about.”

As USA Today notes, Kaepernick has defended his actions not as anti-American, but rather a way to draw attention to the treatment of African-Americans by police officers, and to support “people who are oppressed.”

“You’ve heard me talk about in the past for the need for us to have an active citizen,” Obama continued from Hangzhou, reports the Daily Mail. “I’d rather have young people who are engaged in the argument… than people who are just sitting on the sidelines and not paying attention at all.”

“My suspicion is that over time he’s going to refine how he thinks about it and maybe some of his critics will start seeing that he has a point,” Obama concluded. “That’s how we move forward, sometimes it’s messy but it’s the way democracy works.”

Sources: Daily Mail, USA Today / Photo credit: #TeamCk Kaepernick Fan Page/Instagram