Chris Brown isn’t singing the praises of the national anthem.
The 27-year-old singer refused to stand during “The Star Spangled Banner” at a charity basketball game in Los Angeles on Sunday, the 15-year anniversary of 9/11.
The “Zero” singer, who was arrested last month on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, is the latest celebrity to join San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
Before performing “The Star Spangled Banner,” R&B star Tank encouraged the audience to stand up to honor the men and women who lost their lives in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
But Brown stayed seated and appeared to be flashing a smile as others around him rose. He clapped at the end of the song, and at one point, appeared to be yelling at a fan in a video posted by TMZ. The man was reportedly sitting in the wrong section, prompting Brown to lose his cool, according to the gossip site.
Brown’s actions sparked outrage on social media. Some labeled his behavior “disgusting.”
The singer’s decision to boycott the national anthem comes in wake of his recent arrest. Cops surrounded the star’s Tarzana, California home after 24-year-old former beauty pageant queen Baylee Curran accused him of pointing a gun at her.
Brown verbally attacked law enforcement, who he believes “defaced” his character and made him out to be a villain ranting: “f—k the police,” on Instagram.
