Hundreds protest Washington NFL team name in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS – Hundreds of protesters chanting “We are not your mascot” have marched in Minneapolis against the Washington Redskins team name.

Demonstrators rallied Thursday ahead of the Minnesota Vikings’ game against Washington. The protesters called the team’s name racist and degrading to American Indians.

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan told the crowd the mascot “dehumanizes our people.” Flanagan is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.

Also speaking was U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum. The Star Tribune reports McCollum said, “It’s long past time to change the name.”

Washington owner Dan Snyder has said the team name shows honour and respect.

But David Glass, president of the National Coalition Against Racism in Sports and Media and a member of the White Earth Nation, says the name is an offensive racial slur.