According to the Daily Mail on December 6, a US university cheerleader was banned from playing the national anthem for kneeling one knee to protest. He has received compensation of US$145,000 (about RMB 1.015 million) now.
21-year-old Tommia Dean is the cheerleader at Kennesaw State University who held the "Kennesaw Five". In a September 2017 Kennesaw State University game, Dean and several other cheerleaders followed the example of NFL (NFL) player Colin Kaepernick (Colin Kaepernick) kneeled down on one knee while playing the national anthem in protest against violent law enforcement and racial discrimination by the U.S. police.
The Kennesaw Five protests have angered many people, including Rep. Ehrhart and Sheriff Warren, who issued a public statement to respond.
Warren advises not to enter the cheerleaders until the national anthem is played. They believe this is an act of hating the United States.
When the national anthem was played in the next two games, the college prohibited cheerleaders from playing.
Subsequently, Dean filed a lawsuit claiming that his rights were violated. "Kenneso State University and state officials violated my constitutional rights. We not only want to take action to protest the actions of the American police, but also want people to understand the values behind our actions."
Another team member said, "I don't think this is disrespectful to the United States, we are just dissatisfied with some of their behaviors. When we kneel down, we still put our hands on our chests and pray, we just want to gain equal rights as others."
Two months later, officials at state university determined that the "Kenneso Five" has the constitutional right to protest, and kneeling on one knee is a form of protected freedom of speech and schools should not intervene unless their actions cause damage.
Now, Kennesaw State University has been ordered to compensate Dean $145,000 for her right to protest was violated. And her cheerleaders have not filed a legal lawsuit yet.
According to the agreement, the administrative service department of Georgia agreed to issue a check of US$93,000 (approximately RMB 650,000) to Dean and a check of US$52,000 (approximately RMB 365,000) to her lawyer.
It is reported that the two parties have reached a settlement at present.
