North Carolina Cub Scout, 10, kneels during Pledge of Allegiance at city council meeting
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A Cub Scout, whose troop was asked to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before a Monday city council meeting in Durham, North Carolina was captured kneeling in the latest display of a national protest trend started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Liam Holmes, 10, who is part of Cub Scout Pack 451, was seen on video walking with his troop to the front of the room to recite the pledge when he dropped to his knees.
The youngster explained to WNCN why he kneeled.
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“What I did was took a knee against racial discrimination, which is basically when people are mean to other people of different colors,” Holmes told WNCN.
The boy’s father, attorney Scott Holmes, told WNCN he and his son talked about the protest beforehand, but he wasn't sure his son would take the knee.
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"When he did it, I was really surprised and also really proud of him," the father said.
Scott Holmes told the Raleigh News & Observer that the attention from the media has been overwhelming.
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The boy’s protest got the approval of Durham Mayor Steve Schewel, who thanked him.
“To the Scout that expressed his conscience by kneeling, we will say that we endorse and appreciate all expressions of conscience in the Durham City Council,” Schewel said.
Kaepernick made headlines during the 2016 NFL season when he began kneeling during the national anthem as part of a protest against perceived police brutality. When WNCN asked Holmes what he would say to others who didn’t approve of him kneeling, the youngster replied: “Well, those people just don’t listen.”
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A Boy Scouts of America statement about the protest said the group valued “the freedom of everyone to express their opinion and believe to disagree does not mean to disrespect.”