Protesters kneel during National Anthem outside Panthers-Vikings game

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

Charlotte officials sent extra security to Sunday’s NFL game at the Bank of America Stadium as the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings met on the field to play football even as the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been steeped in controversy amid massive protests following the death of Keith Lamont Scott at the hands of police.

Interim City Manager Ron Kimble said that the game on Sunday was an “extraordinary event,” adding that the city was allowed to “modify its permitting process for activities such as parades and specifies particular items that are prohibited from being brought into certain boundaries of the event.”

During the game, about 100 protesters gathered outside the stadium and knelt while the national anthem was being played, their actions a continuation of the protests that have received national attention since Colin Kaepernick chose not to stand during the anthem in order to protest the treatment of people of color in the United States. As the anthem was playing, Panthers safety Marcus Ball also appeared to raise his fist.

During warmup, Cam Newton could be seen wearing a shirt with a quote on it from Martin Luther King, Jr.