Several college athletes in Mississippi took a knee on Saturday as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played ahead of their basketball game.

The symbolic action by members of the men’s Ole Miss team came in response to a Confederacy rally unfolding near their arena, according to the Associated Press.

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The team was facing off against Georgia.

And as the squad lined up near the foul line for the national anthem, six players knelt down, as documented by a photo of the action.

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Two more players reportedly joined them as the song neared its close.

Not far away, a pair of pro-Confederate groups had staged a march in favor of a Confederate statue in the area, according to WLBT.

Various student groups held counter protests on campus on Thursday and Friday.

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On Saturday, one began on the city square and ended at the Confederate monument in the heart of the Ole Miss campus.

The Associated Press contributed to this Fox News report, which is used by permission.

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