Rapper T.I. compared President Donald Trump to Nazi Germany in a recent Instagram post blasting the NFL for their new policy, which requires players to stand during the playing of the national anthem.
“Congratulations America!!! #AgentOrange #45 is giving Nazi Germany a run for their money!!! Soon WE will be the most oppressive country in all of World History. Hope you’re satisfied. #TheRealWillStillKneel,” the rapper wrote, referring to Trump as “#AgentOrange.”
Included in the post was a caption about a German soccer team allegedly getting banned from league play in 1934 for refusing to give the Nazi salute:
T.I. also took exception to President Trump’s comment that a player who doesn’t stand for the anthem, perhaps “shouldn’t be in the country.”
“But the police and school shooters who murder people for no reason belong here??? FOH!!! America IS THE PROBLEM!!!! #TheRealWillStillKneel,” T.I. exclaimed in his post.
The claim referencing the Nazi-era German soccer team has been making the rounds on social media:
Just going to leave this here 😳#ThisIsAmerica #NFL
[ref: https://t.co/tEpft9YX5U] pic.twitter.com/1UJPmVGlGO— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) May 25, 2018
— Haymarket Books (@haymarketbooks) May 25, 2018
While the newspaper clipping — which appeared in an Australian paper called the Advocate in 1934 — has been verified by Snopes, it appears that those comparing the story to the NFL protest controversy are excluding several key details.
According to Snopes, the German soccer team in question — FC Karlsruhe — was not protesting the Nazi regime. In fact, the club had readily adhered to Nazi policies, including the expulsion of Jewish players during the 30’s. The incident the article references is also fraught with problems for T.I., and others who would compare it to the NFL anthem protests.
First, according to Snopes, the incident occurred in France, not Germany. Moreover, the team didn’t refuse to salute in protest of the Nazi regime. The team neglected to salute because the French team they were playing said they wouldn’t play the game if they gave the salute.
Also, according to Snopes, there was reason to believe fans would riot if FC Karlsruhe gave the “Seig Heil.”
As Snopes explains, “when word reached Berlin, the team was banned from playing outside of Germany for a year.”
Meaning, unlike the impression given by T.I.’s Instagram post, the German club was only banned from playing games outside Germany. They were still allowed to play in Germany.
T.I. has made headlines away from his disdain for President Trump and the anthem debate. Earlier this month, the Atlanta-based rapper was arrested for “disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and simple assault charges as he tried to enter his gated community outside Atlanta.”
Last week, T.I. and his girlfriend Tameka “Tiny” Harris, got into a big argument over the rapper’s activism. Harris apparently disagreed with T.I. about whether Houston’ Restaurant should be shut down, after an incident in which a black woman was allegedly dragged out of a bathroom by security.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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