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Updated Aug 4, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Navy SEALs sever ties with museum over Colin Kaepernick video

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The U.S. Navy is investigating an incident in which a target wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey was used for a "K-9 demonstration" at a fundraiser held at the National Navy SEAL Museum in Florida, according to a statement posted to the Navy SEALs' Twitter account.

What's new: The Commander of the Navy SEALs said Tuesday it will cut ties with the museum, a nonprofit not overseen by the military, adding their relationship with the museum could return "when I am convinced that they have made the necessary changes to ensure this type of behavior does not happen again," the AP reports.

  • “Each and every one of us serves to protect our fellow Americans - ALL Americans. Even the perception that our commitment to serving the men and women of this nation is applied unevenly is destructive,” Rear Adm. Collin Green, who heads the Naval Special Warfare Command, said in an email Monday evening.

Details: The videos that surfaced on social media last Sunday show four dogs attacking a man in padded gear while wearing a Kaepernick jersey.

  • Additional footage shows the man laying on the ground while a dog holds clamps down on his leg. The Navy says “initial indications” show no active duty personnel or equipment were used.

Why it matters: Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback turned activist, became a symbol of the racial justice movement in the U.S., after he kneeled during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality.

What the Navy is saying:

"We became aware today of a video of a Navy SEAL Museum event posted last year with a military working dog demonstration. In the demonstration, the target is wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey. The inherent message of this video is completely inconsistent with the values and ethos of Naval Special Warfare and the U.S. Navy. We are investigating the matter fully, and initial indications are that there were no active duty personnel or equipment involved with this independent organization’s event."
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