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12th September 2016
04:17pm BST

"In my opinion, the national anthem is a symbolic song about our country. It represents honoring the many brave men and women who sacrifice and have sacrificed their lives each and every single day to protect our freedom. Sitting or kneeling down during the national anthem is a disgrace to those people who have served and currently serve our country. "Sitting down during the national anthem on September 11th is even more horrific. Protest all you want and use social media all you want. However, during the nearly two minutes when that song is playing, I believe everyone should put their hands on their heart and be proud of our country for we are all truly blessed. "Recent history has shown that it is a place where anyone no matter what race or gender has the potential to become President of the United States. We live in the most special place in the world and should be thankful. After the song is over, I would encourage everyone to please use the podium they have, stand up for their beliefs, and make America a better place. "The rebuilding of battery park and the freedom tower demonstrates that amazing things can be done in this country when we work together towards a common goal. It is a shame how quickly we have forgotten this as a society. Today we are more divided then ever before. I could never imagine multiple people sitting down during the national anthem on the September 11th anniversary. The lessons of 911 should teach us that if we come together, the world can be a better and more peaceful place #neverforget."
It's worth noting that Upton's remarks were made just three weeks after Colin Kaepernick’s silent protest during the US national anthem. Despite this lengthy Instagram post, the model continued to defend her stance on Twitter. https://twitter.com/KateUpton/status/775151520941744128 https://twitter.com/KateUpton/status/775156173137911808 Lots of people were quick to point of the obvious flaw in Upton's logic which can be summarised as “I believe you should have the freedom to do as you wish in this country but not at this specific time." https://twitter.com/_Zeets/status/775108887787757568 https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/775310280272273408 https://twitter.com/AndyKindler/status/775301113939578881
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