Gwen Berry, a U.S. hammer thrower and Olympian athlete, responded to widespread criticism she received after making national headlines for protesting during the national anthem at the Olympic trials last month.
Although political protests are banned at the Tokyo Olympics, Berry left unanswered the question of whether she’ll stand for the flag during the international games.
LET GWEN BERRY REPRESENT A COUNTRY LESS OFFENSIVE THAN THE US
“We’ll see,” Berry said on CNN’s Don Lemon Tonight on Thursday. “It just depends on how I’m feeling and what I want to do in that moment.”
This comes in response to calls for Berry’s removal from the Olympic team after the track and field athlete turned away from the podium as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played during the Olympic qualifier’s ceremony.
Berry told host Don Lemon her protest wasn’t an act of disrespect toward the country but rather a visual disagreement of the national anthem’s lyrics. For example, words like “freedom” and “justice” don’t mean the same thing for all Americans, she said.
U.S hammer thrower and Olympian Gwen Berry is responding to criticism over turning away from the flag while on the podium at the Olympic trials.
Berry tells @donlemon she was exercising her constitutional right. Watch: pic.twitter.com/yFISNt3zjj
— Don Lemon Tonight (@DonLemonTonight) July 2, 2021
“Let’s be clear: I do respect the constitution,” Berry said. “Because obviously, I was exercising my constitutional right. But I will not stand for any type of symbol or song that does not stand for all people in America.”
The protest drew sharp criticism from several Republicans, with some calling for Berry’s removal from the team.
“We don’t need any more activist athletes. She should be removed from the team,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw told Fox & Friends.
Sen. Ted Cruz also chimed in, tweeting, “Why does the Left hate America?”
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Berry responded to the criticism, arguing any calls for her removal were distractions from the issues she’s trying to bring to light.
“We need to be talking about the racial and social injustice issues that the black community still faces to this day,” she said. “It’s the same thing, and people are trying to divert the attention to a song and a flag when that’s not even the biggest thing we need to be focusing on right now.”
The Tokyo Olympics are set to take place July 23 to Aug. 8.
