Several conservative voices are speaking out against American Olympian Gwen Berry who recently caught controversy when she turned her back on the American flag during the National Anthem right after she qualified at the Olympic trials. Berry had just received her bronze medal in the hammer throw competition when the National Anthem began playing.
DeAnna Price and Brooke Andersen, the gold and silver medalists respectively, remained on the podium and placed their right hand over their chest as the anthem played. Berry, on the other hand, turned her back and faced the crowds instead in an incident she insists is a "set up."
"They had enough opportunities to play the national anthem before we got up there," Berry complained, as reported by Fox News. "I was thinking about what I should do. Eventually I stayed there and I swayed, I put my shirt over my head."
"It was real disrespectful," Berry said, claiming that the anthem would be played before the athletes walked out. The 31 year old activist argued, "The anthem doesn't speak for me. It never has."
Berry, who is Black, went on to say that her "purpose and my mission is bigger than sports" and that she represents those who "died due to systemic racism." The athlete, who previously received a sanction from the U.S. Olympic committee for raising her fist during the National Anthem at the 2019 Pan-Am Games, appeared to not only turn her back at the American flag, but also cover her face with a shirt that read "Activist Athlete."
Conservative leaders have been up in arms over Berry's protest. Evangelist and Samaritan's Purse CEO Franklin Graham recently took to Facebook to condemn Berry's recent actions.
"If you're competing in the Olympics to represent the USA and you disrespect our country by disrespecting the flag or our national anthem, that should automatically disqualify you from the team," Graham argued, saying that Berry is a "self-defined athlete activist" who knowingly turned her back on the American flag during the National Anthem. He said, "This is not the way, the time, or the place, for activists to protest."
Graham added that "Most athletes are deeply honored to represent the United States of America, still the greatest nation on earth to live in."
Republican Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas echoed Graham's sentiments, calling for Berry's removal from the team. The Blaze reported that during an appearance Monday morning on Fox News, Rep. Crenshaw argued, "We don't need any more activist athletes."
Rep. Crenshaw, who served in the U.S. Navy and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, demanded that "[Berry] should be removed from the team. The entire point of the Olympic team is to represent the United States of America."
The 37 year old Texas congressman added that athletes protesting is a result of critical race theory being taught in American institutions. He argued, "This is the pathology that occurs when we're teaching critical race theory in our institutions...it results in these displays of hatred towards our own country, and it's gotta stop."
MSN reported that Texas Senator Ted Cruz also had some thoughts on Berry's protest that she claims was a "set up." Sen. Cruz took to Twitter to muse, "Why does the Left hate America?" and share an article about Berry's decision to face away from the flag during the National Anthem.
Sen. Cruz gave a reminder, "No nation in the history of the world has liberated more people from captivity, has lifted more out of poverty, has bled more for freedom, or has blessed more with abundance."
