Gwen Berry responded to criticism of the Olympic protests: “I never said I hate this country”

Gwen Berry responded to several complaints and criticisms against her after protesting during the national anthem at the U.S. Athletics Olympic trials on Saturday.

Berry is an outspoken activist and track and field athlete who won a bronze medal in a hammer throw to win a seat at the Tokyo Olympics; at the award ceremony, she turned her back to the American flag and showed a piece with “Activist Athlete” printed on the front. “” black T-shirt. After the ceremony, she told reporters that she felt that the organizers deliberately played the “Stars and Stripes” to cooperate with the ceremony.

“I think this is a setting, they did it on purpose,” Berry said. “To be honest, I’m very angry.”

A spokeswoman for the US track and field team said that in the Olympic trials held in Eugene, Oregon, the national anthem will be played every night. It was originally scheduled to be played at 5:20 in the afternoon and finally played at 5:25 in the afternoon. Rui’s medal podium.

more: When the national anthem was played, Gwen Berry turned from the flag: “I think this is a setting”

When criticizing her position online, Berry continued to insist on her point of view, posting a photo on Twitter on Sunday with the headline “Don’t play with me.”

Berry posting some news She received criticism of her position, many of which included vulgar or other distrustful language.She also responded to more pronounced criticisms, such as Fox News with Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), The latter said that she should be removed from the team because she turned her back on the banner.

Berry also claimed that all the negative news she heard after the demonstration—which she said was distorted to distort her message—proved that critics “have patriotism in basic morality.”

more: U.S. Olympic Track and Field Test Results: Tracking every men’s and women’s events of the U.S. team in 2021

Others responded positively or defended Berry’s right to protest in other ways. When asked about this on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki defended her demonstration.

Psaki said: “I know (President Joe Biden) is very proud of being an American and respects the national anthem and everything it stands for, especially for the men and women we wear in uniforms around the world.” “Of course, he It will also be said that that part of our country’s pride means recognizing that we, as a country, sometimes fail to reach our highest ideals. It means respecting the right of peaceful protest given to them by the Constitution.”