Bar's ‘Lynch Kaepernick’ anti-protest display accused of being racist

A Missouri bar owner is defending his anti-protest demonstration from accusations that it was meant to be racist.

What did he do?

SNAFU bar of Lake Ozark, Missouri, duct-taped two NFL jerseys of outspoken national anthem protesters, but the order of the jerseys made it appear as if he were advocating violence. The jerseys were of Marshawn Lynch of the Oakland Raiders, and Colin Kaepernick, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers.

When placed next to each other, it appears to say, "Lynch Kaepernick," which some took to refer to the racist lynchings of blacks by Ku Klux Klan members and others.

What does the owner say about it?

Jason Burle is the owner of the bar and a veteran, and that he felt Kaepernick was purposely offending the military. But he denied any racist implication in the order of the jerseys.

“It’s funny to me that someone would look that far deeply into it just to find a racist link,” Burle wrote on the bar’s Facebook account. “…The way they were displayed was purely out of accident. But once again just like those players some of you think everything has to be about race and Hate.”

Has the display been changed?

Yes, after the accusations of racism, the bar owner says he has changed the order to read "Kaepernick Lynch" and avoid the implication.

That has not prevented users on social media from spreading the images of the jerseys in a critique of the bar and the owner.

When a black man politely asked for police to stop murdering black people, #SNAFUbar owner #JasonBurle said "we'll murder you for asking." pic.twitter.com/NvodJ7xsNX

— Bruce Logan☮️ (@BruceKLogan) September 28, 2017

“It’s not a race thing,” Burle said later. “A lot of people want to twist it around to be a race thing.”

Why was Marshawn Lynch included?

The star Raiders running back joined the protest in the form of sitting on the bench in August while the national anthem played.

Here's a New York Post news video about the bar's display: