Olympic athlete Gwen Berry,

who on Saturday turned away from

the US flag during the national
anthem, doubled down on her
controversial protest Monday —
insisting the anthem is “disrespectful”
to black Americans.

“If you know your history, you know

the full song of the national anthem.
The third paragraph speaks to slaves
in America — our blood being slain …
all over the floor,” Berry, 31, said on
Black News Channel. “It’s
disrespectful, and it does not speak
for black Americans. […] It’s obvious,” she added. “There’s no question.”

The third stanza of the anthem contains the lyrics, “their blood has washed out their foul
footstep’s pollution,” and, “No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of
flight or the gloom of the grave.”

The two-time Olympic qualifying hammer thrower also reiterated earlier comments she
made on Twitter in response to the backlash, insisting she does not hate her country.

“I never said that I didn’t want to go to the Olympic games. I never said that I hated the
country. I never said that,” Berry told the outlet. “All I said was I respect my people
enough to not stand or acknowledge something that disrespects them.” [...]

The demonstration sparked fiery criticism, including from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.),
who said Berry should be yanked off the United States’ roster.

“If Ms. Berry is so embarrassed by America, then there’s no reason she needs to compete
for our country,” the Arkansas senator said Monday on Fox News. “She should be
removed from the Olympic team.”

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Jen Psaki came to Berry’s defense on Monday.

“I haven’t spoken to the president specifically about this, but I know he’s incredibly proud
to be an American and has great respect for the anthem and all that it represents,
especially for our men and women serving in uniform all around the world,” she told
reporters at her daily briefing. “He would also say, of course, that part of that pride in our
country means recognizing there are moments where we are — as a country, haven’t
lived up to our highest ideals,” Psaki added. “And it means respecting the rights of people
granted to them in the Constitution to peacefully protest.”
Source: The New York Post
 The song has been played at sporting events for nearly 150 years, dating from
when it was used to commemorate a new stadium in New York during the Civil War.[...] It
officially was declared the national anthem in 1931 ; by World War II, it was played
before every baseball game, plus movies and other events, growing into a cultural
mainstay.

Some Black Americans have long found discomfort in the tradition. A quarter-century
after he integrated Major League Baseball in 1947, Jackie Robinson, who was drafted and
served in the Army during World War II, wrote in his autobiography, “I Never Had It
Made,” that he couldn’t stand and sing the anthem or salute the flag because “I know that
I am a black man in a white world.”

But Black superstars have also helped fuel the ritual’s resonance. Marvin Gaye made it
cool at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles, adding a little hip-moving rhythm to
a song that usually requires listeners to stand at attention. Whitney Houston belted out
one of the most powerful and memorable renditions before Super Bowl XXV in 1991, at
the onset of the Persian Gulf War.

In the late 1960s, then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle introduced flyovers and mandated
that players stand with their helmets tucked under their left arms and right hands over
their hearts. Over the past decade, the military has paid the league millions to stage
patriotic ceremonies before games. The ritual has been criticized for manufacturing
nationalism, but the practice continues. […]

Steven Plantone, 65, a White retired former federal law enforcement officer based in
Philadelphia, agreed. “The anthem should be something that everybody can agree on,” he
said in an interview after participating in The Post’s survey. “When I hear the anthem,
that reminds me of all the good things about America. You get goose bumps.” […]

Given all it represents, the ritual has provided the perfect platform for protest. And even
when the song is more soundtrack than target, there’s blowback. That tracks: The call for
equal treatment of Black Americans has long been met with pushback more aggressive
than the silent protests themselves.

John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised their

black-gloved fists as the song played during the
medal ceremony for the 200-meter dash during
the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and were
kicked out of the Olympic Village. [...]

When Kaepernick sat — and later took a knee

— during the anthem, he was harshly and
falsely criticized as being anti-military, including
by President Donald Trump. After Kaepernick’s
contract ended with San Francisco, he never
found work in the league again.
Source : Michael Lee, Scott Clement, Emily Guskin, The Washington Post, May 21st, 2021
 In an article, Archbishop of York, the Most
Rev Stephen Cottrell, said [God Save the
Queen] had become seen as "just the
English anthem". He added that, as part of
"a big vision for one United Kingdom" to
stop the union falling apart, when "the
different nations of the UK find themselves
pitched against each other on the sports
field we could belt out our English, Scottish,
Welsh and Northern Irish anthems. Then
sing our national anthem together".

Rugby writer Peter Jackson believes it is seen by people as "not the anthem of Wales" and
would be "booed now even more than it was in the past". However, he would not have
anthems at all, saying his dad's view when he was growing up in Ireland was "it only
heightened the differences between one set of people and another".

God Save the Queen was played at Croke Park in Dublin before Ireland v England in the
2007 Six Nations. Mr Jackson described it as a place "loaded with history of the most
emotive kind" as it was where British forces opened fire on the crowd attending a Gaelic
football match in 1920, killing 14 people, including Tipperary player Michael Hogan.

"When they played it at the shrine of Gaelic football and Irish republicanism, you could
hear a pin drop," he said. "Compare that to it routinely being booed in Edinburgh and
Cardiff - which are parts of the UK."

God Save the Queen continues to be played before Northern Ireland football matches
while Scotland's rugby and football teams adopted Flower of Scotland in the 1990s. […]

"Each country should play what they want. England for years claimed God Save the
Queen, even though it's the anthem of the UK, not England," said sports historian Huw
Richards. "We weren't bothered about fighting them for it because musically it's such an
awful anthem." […] [He] believes if God Save the Queen was a truly representative, UK-
wide anthem, there would be more controversy about it not being used, adding: "It's not
about the UK, but celebrates a particular structure. You see it before France v England -
one anthem is an appeal to the entire nation, then the next is about being subjects."

Mr Richards believes 116 years of history means that Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau now
"represents who we are" in a way God Save the Queen simply cannot. "There is a parallel
debate over the Prince of Wales feathers on the jersey - many suggest it's a colonial
hangover and ask why we still wear them," he added. […] In that sense, for many players
as well, history means God Save the Queen has come to represent Wales' greatest rivals.

Source : BBC News website

After the terrible events in Paris on 13 November 2015, we heard a lot about the French
national anthem, the Marseillaise - including when the members of the French National
Assembly spontaneously burst into song, and even at the England-France football match
at Wembley a few days later. It was all very stirring, not just because the brutality of the
terrorist outrage was so horrifying, but also because of the anthem itself. Let's overlook
the fact that the lyrics are very gory, full of impure blood soaking fields and tigers
mercilessly ripping their mother's breast. The point is that La Marseillaise sounds
marvellous, and brings a tear to the eye. In other words, it is does the job of a national
anthem, which is rallying "les citoyens", superbly.

Here in Britain, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition got into trouble recently
when observers noticed that he was failing to sing our national anthem. But I don't blame
him myself. It's a terrible tune, with banal
lyrics. […]

I agree with George Orwell that while

nationalism is an evil in the world, patriotism
has its place. […] To quote [him]: "By
'patriotism' I mean devotion to a particular
place and a particular way of life, which one
believes to be the best in the world but has no
wish to force on other people."

So if we're agreed about feeling patriotic, what could possibly be wrong with God Save
The Queen? Well, it's meant to be a national anthem, but it actually doesn't have
anything to say about England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland (in fact a version
briefly popular in the 18th Century added a final verse about crushing the "Rebellious
Scots"). Instead, our national anthem variously discusses saving, protecting and
defending the monarch, and pouring gifts on her. Whatever your views on the Royal
Family, I do not think they fully personify the diversity and vibrancy of contemporary
Britain. Our national anthem is very dated, and it mentions God in 12 separate places,
which may be of some concern to those Britons who no longer believe in the deity. The
phrase "Thy choicest gifts in store" sounds like a supermarket advert, and "knavish
tricks" is all too reminiscent of the Bullingdon Club.

Above all, it's a wasted opportunity to celebrate what's great about Britain. In contrast,
I'd point to Advance Australia Fair.

"Australians all let us rejoice / For we are young and free / We've golden soil and wealth
for toil; Our home is girt by sea; Our land abounds in nature's gifts / Of beauty rich and
rare / In history's page, let every stage / Advance Australia Fair".

The message is all about sharing and working together, the tune's unquestionably
stirring, and it has that great refrain. It's cheesy, but it's top-quality cheese. No wonder
the Aussies voted for Advance Australia Fair to replace God Save The Queen back in
1977.

Source : BBC News website, 15th January 2016

This text is a transcript of A Point of View which is broadcast on Fridays on Radio 4
Doc 1 – Footnotes

-backlash : a strong negative reaction by a large number of people, especially to a

political or social development.

-Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) : Senator Tom Cotton (Republican – Arkansas)

-a roster: here, a list of individuals taking part in a competition

Doc 2 – Footnotes

-to be drafted: the system of ordering people by law to join the armed forces

-to belt out: to sing very loudly

-a flyover: when planes fly in a given formation during commemorations or special events

-to get goosebumps:a state of the skin caused by cold, fear, or excitement, in which small
bumps appear on the surface as the hairs become erect

Doc 3 – Footnotes

-to belt out: to sing very loudly

-the shrine: a religious term to mention a place regarded as holy and sacred

-to hear a pin drop: when silence is so heavy that the smallest sound can be heard

-Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau : the song now sung before sport events involving the Welsh team

Doc 4 – Footnotes

-stirring: causing excitement or strong emotions

-the Bullingdon Club: a private all-male dining club for Oxford University students. It is
known for its wealthy members, grand banquets, and bad behaviour

-cheesy: cheap and of low quality