Olympian Gwen Berry Speaks Out Following the Backlash She Received For Protesting National Anthem
The Olympic trials are underway, and Gwen Berry is officially going to Tokyo. The hammer thrower placed third during the trials securing her spot on the Olympic team.
This should be cause for celebration, but instead Berry felt very uncomfortable when she stood on the podium. Instead of facing the flag while the national anthem played, she turned away in silent protest.
Conservative news reporter Dan Crenshaw thinks Berry shouldn’t be allowed to compete on the Olympic team after turning away during the national anthem. Berry’s response was to tweet “At this point, y’all are obsessed with me.”
At this point, y’all are obsessed with me https://t.co/HBWCE28s7x
— Gwen Berry OLY (@MzBerryThrows) June 28, 2021
Here’s Berry’s side of the story. In Oregon she shared, “I felt like it was a setup. I felt like they did that on purpose.”
Berry was referring to the fact that the national anthem played while she was on the podium. The national anthem is only played once each day during the Olympic trials, and it happened to play while Berry was on the podium.
She explained, “I was pissed, to be honest. They had enough opportunities to play the national anthem before we got up there. I was thinking about what I should do. Eventually I stayed there and I swayed, I put my shirt over my head.”
Berry thought playing the national anthem while she was on the podium was “disrespectful,” so instead of facing the flag, she turned away in silent protest. By the way, that t-shirt she put over her head had the words “activist athlete” on it.
Many people are siding with Berry and supporting her right to peaceful protest.
Few problems your logic Bill. 1: @MzBerryThrows family may not have willingly come to America because, ya know. 2: You’re not currently allowed to switch allegiances. 3: Requirments to compete for most countries is, you guessed it, citizenship4: 1 really complicates 2&3. https://t.co/MvK9Lk017P
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) June 28, 2021
Dan Crenshaw: It’s time to cancel cancel culture!Also Dan Crenshaw: Gwen Berry MUST be canceled for daring to protest! pic.twitter.com/1SfRzZKzJw
— Krystal Ball (@krystalball) June 28, 2021
Even President Biden is on her side.
WH Press Sec. Psaki says Biden respects Olympian Gwen Berry’s “right to peacefully protest” when she was seen turning from the American flag:”A part of that pride in our country means recognizing there are moments where we, as a country, haven’t lived up to our highest ideals.” pic.twitter.com/i4L9a9dgKr
— The Recount (@therecount) June 28, 2021
Do you think it was inappropriate for Berry to turn away during the national anthem? Do you think playing the national anthem while she was on the podium was “a setup”?