In 2020, as Black Lives Matter protests spread across the country, some FBI agents took a simple, powerful stand: they kneeled alongside demonstrators in support of justice, accountability, and equal treatment under the law.

Now, those agents are facing potential punishment.

Recent reporting reveals that the FBI is reviewing the conduct of agents who knelt during protests — even though they were acting peacefully and expressing solidarity with communities demanding change. Civil rights groups fear these reviews could lead to discipline, reassignment, or career damage.

Kneeling is not misconduct. It’s a statement of humanity.

We call on FBI leadership and the Department of Justice to immediately end any disciplinary reviews targeting agents who peacefully kneeled in 2020.

Retaliating against agents for supporting justice sends the wrong message — inside the Bureau and across the country.

Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP/File