A state police officer has gone viral after he was filmed saying he would only kneel for God during a Black Lives Matter protest in Georgia.
According to the reports, state trooper O’Neal Saddler canceled his family plans to attend a Hartwell protest and keep the protesters safe.
During the event, the officer was allegedly asked to take a knee to show solidarity and support for the protests following the death of George Floyd.
Despite saying he had “much respect,” however, Mr. Saddler insisted he would only kneel for God.
“I’m supposed to be out of town this weekend with my wife. I took off this weekend, today, but I’m out here to make sure you are all safe,” the state trooper said in the video.
“Don’t go there with respect. I have much respect, but I only kneel for one person.”
After a protester suggested that the ‘person’ Saddler’s referring to is God, the trooper confirmed by nodding and saying “God.”
Following the death of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protests have taken all over America whereas plenty of police officers were filmed taking a knee with or in front of protesters.
While many have praised the actions of cops willing to kneel in a show of solidarity, critics believe that such stunts don’t contribute to the movement against police brutality.
Some have also lashed out at Saddler for refusing to kneel at the request of the protesters. Responding to the backlash in a Facebook statement, the state trooper wrote:
“Any person has a free right in America to do as they want, kneeling or not. Please stop, racism has to start somewhere […] Last, please remember the actions of bad officers don’t make me or other good officers bad.”
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends and follow us on Facebook for more news and stories!
Replaced!