US military cadets under investigation for Black Lives Matter salute photo

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Officials at the West Point military academy in New York have said an investigation will be launched in regards to a photograph that surfaced showing 16 black cadets posing with raised fists. Critics claim the stance is in violation of policies governing political messages as it depicts support for the Black Lives Matter campaign.

"We can confirm that the cadets in this photo are members of the US Military Academy's Class of 2016," West Point's director of public affairs, Lt. Col. Christopher Kasker, said in a statement sent to Army Times on 5 May. "Academy officials are conducting an inquiry into the matter."

As the Army Times report noted, the raised fist is a symbol that has long been associated with a wide range of groups over the years, from labour unions to sports teams. In any case, some "active-duty officers" and veterans said the stance breaches Pentagon rules on avoiding "partisan political activity".

John Burk, an Army veteran who has completed tours-of-service in the Iraq War, has previously accused the 16 cadets of aligning with the Black Lives Matter movement and said that, if found to be true, it would be "completely unprofessional"

On his website, Burk wrote: "This overt display of the Black Lives Matter movement is not, in itself, wrong per say [sic], but to do so while in uniform is completely unprofessional and not in keeping with what the USMA [United States Military Academy] stands for."

In an additional statement uploaded to his website on 7 May, Buck addressed criticism he had received since making his initial statements and accused a New York Times report of "twisting his words" in its coverage of the incident. He wrote: "Civilians, and some military personnel, continue to voice the idea that it's their freedom of speech and they have that right; you're wrong. You give up your rights once you sign the dotted line. You wave your ability to do what you want, and say what you want."

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