Roger Waters urges Maroon 5 to take the knee during their Super Bowl performance

This weekend, Maroon 5 will perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. A decision that has been met with considerable criticism from the community and fellow musicians. Artists like Cardi B, Rihanna and Pink all refused to participate in the show in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick.

Colin Kaepernick has not played in a game since 2016, after the quarterback to took a knee during the National Anthem in protest against racial injustice and police brutality. He is currently embroiled in a collusion lawsuit against the NFL, alleging that they have locked him out of the game for his protests.

Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters is encouraging Maroon 5 and their guests Travis Scott and Big Boi to ‘take a knee’ during their performance. In a statement, Waters has shared:

“My colleagues Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi are performing during the halftime show at the Super-bowl this coming Sunday, I call upon them to ‘take a knee’ on stage in full sight. I call upon them to do it in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, to do it for every child shot to death on these mean streets, to do it for every bereaved mother and father and brother and sister.”

Waters shared a video of his band taking the knee at their concert in Hartford, Connecticut back in September 2017. Within the post he has explained:

“We did it in solidarity with San Francisco Quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s gesture of protest against the endemic racism and often deadly force meted out by police departments across this land. It was the third Sunday of Colin Kaepernick’s lock out by the NFL. The message was clear, ‘Shut your mouth, boy!’ Next Sunday will be the 36th Sunday he has been locked out of your national game. This is not a victory for the NFL, it is a defeat, you have denied football fans everywhere the pleasure and the honour of watching one of the greatest quarterbacks who ever played the game, and you have shown your true colours.”