UK foreign minister Dominic Raab criticized for saying taking a knee is from 'Game of Thrones'
British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab took criticism Thursday for saying in a radio interview that taking a knee was from the television show "Game of Thrones"
"On this taking the knee thing, which I don't know, maybe it's got a broader history. It seems to be taken from the Game of Thrones, feels to me like a symbol of subjugation and subordination," he said on talkRADIO. "But I understand people felt differently about it, so it's a matter of personal choice."
When asked if he would take a knee in solidarity with protesters, he said, "I take the knee for two people; the Queen and the Mrs. when I asked her to marry me,"
Protests against racial discrimination and police brutality have erupted in the United Kingdom and many other countries in the wake of nationwide protests in the United States after the death of George Floyd, a black man. A white police officer knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
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Raab, 46, stood in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he was hospitalized in intensive care with the new coronavirus.
The pushback on Raab's remarks came quickly from British politicians.
Acting head of the Liberal Democratic Party Ed Davey tweeted, "The fact our Foreign Secretary, who is also now going to be in charge of our aid budget, is totally ignorant about a global movement against racism is as shocking as it is concerning."
Member of Parliament David Lammy, a Labour Party member, called it "insulting" to the Black Lives Matter movement and "deeply embarrassing for Dominic Raab."
Diane Abbott, another Member of Parliament and a Labour Party member noted the origins of the protest against police brutality and racism, not the HBO fantasy show.
Raab released a statement on Twitter later Thursday that did not apologize for his remarks, but reiterated his "full respect for the Black Lives Matter movement, and the issues driving them."
"If people wish to take a knee, that’s their choice and I respect it," he wrote on Twitter.
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Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard