George Floyd’s tragic death by a police officer in the USA has brought to light the Black Lives Matter issue, with Hamilton set to take a knee.
Lewis Hamilton has vouched to take a knee when the 2020 Formula One season begins next month in Austria. The race at the Red Bull Ring will be the first of the pandemic-curtailed season. The traditional season-opener in Australia was called off due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
The six-time world champion is the only black driver in the current drivers’ contingent. He has spoken about the lack of diversity in this white-dominated sport.
He recently said: “I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest stars yet you stay silent in the midst of injustice. Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of course is a white-dominated sport. I’m one of the only people of colour there, yet I stand alone.”
His Dad Anthony Hamilton has also spoken on the news of Hamilton taking the knee. He has appealed to the other drivers to follow suit.
Had a good chat with Anthony Hamilton today. Naturally proud of son @LewisHamilton for the stand he has made with regard to #blacklivesmatter
Should Lewis ‘take a knee’ in Austria, as has been suggested he will, Anthony is hoping all of F1 does the samehttps://t.co/Bdg0LpTw1W— Ian Parkes (@ianparkesf1) June 16, 2020
Hamilton had also shared a series of Instagram posts, one of which had the late civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. taking the knee.
The caption read: “Rules and beliefs that were created hundreds of years ago still exist and poison society. MLK gave his life for the same thing we are fighting for today, and still there is no justice.
“Who’s going to lead us today? The leaders we have selected fail us time and time again. We must continue to rage into the night until change happens.”
An F1 spokesman commented on the issue: “This is a very important issue and we support anyone who wants to show their support in the fight against racism.”
Also read: Jamie Chadwick F1: Female racer hopeful of securing a berth in Formula One by 2023
George Floyd’s death in the United States by a police officer bending his knee on Floyd’s neck has caused worldwide outrage on the issue. There have been hundreds of peaceful rallies and demonstrations, with some of them turning violent.
