His country oppressed a large group of its citizens, making men, women and children seem less than the privileged few. So he protested.
While headlines will scream about Colin Kaepernick and his apparent act of defiance, if not civil disobedience, the subject of the sentence above could well describe John Adams or another of America's founding fathers. It could describe a Native America leader. It could describe Martin Luther King. Or Susan B. Anthony. The list goes on and on.
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Some people who protest for civil rights are considered heroes.