Hertha Berlin players take a knee in name of "tolerance and responsibility"

Hertha Berlin's players and officials have taken a knee to show their support for "an open-minded world" ahead of their Bundesliga game against Schalke 04 on Saturday.

The whole team linked arms and made the kneeling gesture shortly before kickoff, while substitutes and management repeated the move on the touchline at the Olympiastadion.

The gesture by the German club is a tribute to the protest started by San Francisco 49ers NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick aimed at protesting racism and police brutality against black Americans.

In a statement posted on their official Twitter feed, the club wrote: "Hertha BSC stands for tolerance and responsibility!

"For a tolerant Berlin and an open-minded world, now and forever more! #TakeAKnee #hahohe"

Hertha BSC stands for tolerance and responsibility! For a tolerant Berlin and an open-minded world, now and forevermore! #TakeAKnee #hahohe pic.twitter.com/spZvRSGVxQ

— Hertha Berlin (@HerthaBSC_EN) 14 October 2017

The move follows a series of similar protests by NFL players against perceived racial injustice which have divided opinion in the United States.