Hertha Berlin takes a knee

CAIRO – 15 October 2017: The German Bundesliga praised Hertha Berlin through its Twitter account for taking a knee before the start of their latest match in solidarity with athletes in the United States as a protest against racism

"A huge and important gesture," The Bundesliga tweeted. This was the first protest of its kind in the German league.

With this, Hertha players reproduced the symbolic gesture extended a few weeks ago among National Football League (NFL) athletes during the national anthem and in protest against President Donald Trump's policies.

“The idea came from the team in full,” said the player Salomon Kalou, from Ivory Coast, as a shared signal against racism.

.@HerthaBSC_EN's players show solidarity with the #TakeAKnee movement 👏

Full story 👉 https://t.co/ruWNItNzkw pic.twitter.com/sQ15iHQuaT

— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) October 14, 2017

In addition to the players, coach Pal Dardai and club manager Michael Preetz also knelt down.

The gesture took place before the game against Schalke, where Hertha lost 2-0.