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LONDON. — Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed the club’s gesture for the Black Lives Matter movement was masterminded by star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gunners warmed up before their friendly against Brentford at the Emirates Stadium wearing T-shirts in support of the campaigning against racial injustice, sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, USA.

The Arsenal stars wore various different shirts, with some that read: ‘’My skin is not a crime,’’ ‘’I stand with you’’ and ‘’I can’t breathe’’ — the same words spoken by Floyd when he was being held to the ground by a police officer before he died.

Hector Bellerin’s warm-up T-shirt said: ‘’I’m not black but I stand with you’’ on the front, whilst Arteta wore a shirt that read: ‘’We stand in solidarity.’’  The Spanish boss later revealed that the powerful gesture from the North London club was Aubameyang’s idea, as he called him up before their friendly match against the Championship side.

‘’The thing that I like most is that it came from them,’’ Arteta told Sky Sports.

‘’I got a phone call from the captain asking to do that. I spoke with the club straight away and we were very clear that we wanted to support their intentions, everyone collaborated, we created the shirt.

‘’It was a really strong message and it is more powerful because it comes from them. They think they have to support these types of causes.’’ The players also took a knee before the match began, a gesture in support of the BLM movement that has also been observed in the Bundesliga. Jadon Sancho and Marcus Thuram have been two leading figures in using their platform to support that campaigning for change. The Gunners were then shocked by Brentford at the Emirates, as the Championship side beat Arteta’s men 3-2 – leaving the Premier League side with much work to do one week before their return to action against second-placed Manchester City. Arteta fielded a strong team in the Brentford defeat as Joe Willock gave Arsenal the lead just before half-time.

Mesut Ozil was among the Gunners stars that came on in the second half as the Bees made it 1-1 with 20 minutes left in the match.

Despite striker Alexandre Lacazette quickly restoring the hosts lead, the Gunners crumbled in the final moments to concede two late goals against the second division side. — Mailonline.