Furious San Francisco 49ers fans are burning Colin Kaepernick jerseys after he refused to stand for the national anthem as part of a racial protest.

One fan even played The Star-Spangled Banner as he set light to the Number 7 shirt, watching with his hand on his chest as it was reduced to ash.

Another, who uploaded a video to Instagram under the handle Nate3914, called the $19million-per-year athlete an 'ignorant son of a b****.'

Furious 49ers fans have started burning Colin Kaepernick jerseys after he refused to stand for the national anthem in a preseason game against the Green Bay Packers

Football fans unleashed a torrent of vitriol against Kaepernick for his stunt, accusing him of being ignorant, spoiled and childish

Others said that the athlete, who is on a $114million contract with the 49ers, should be banned from playing in the NFL again

Others tweeted this powerful image of a wounded veteran holding himself upright in his wheelchair for the anthem despite having no legs

Kaepernick (center) refused to stand for the national anthem as part of a protest 'against the oppression of black people'

He added: 'People die every single day defending that flag you refuse to stand for and I won’t stand for that.'

'This jersey was the worst $50 investment I have ever had … you should never play in the NFL again, move to Canada.'

Thousands of football fans also took to Twitter in order to shout down Kaepernick's protests, accusing him of being unpatriotic, spoiled, and childish.

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Tomi Lahren, of news site The Blaze, tweeted saying: 'If this country disgusts you so much. Leave. Others would die to be in your spot you cocky child.'

But she stopped short of calling for him to be kicked off the team, saying his First Amendment right to protest should be protected, in the same way she is allowed to criticize him.

Others tweeted out a powerful picture of a wounded veteran holding himself upright in his wheelchair to the anthem, despite not having any legs.

Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem on Friday as part of a protest against 'the oppression of black people'.

Kaepernick, 28, sat on the team's bench during the anthem before the Niners played host to the Green Bay Packers in an exhibition game.

Explaining his decision, Kaepernick - whose father is African American - said he refuses to feel pride for a country that mistreats minorities.

He told NFL Media: 'I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.

'To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.

Many irate fans suggested that Kaepernick leave the country if he feels so strongly about the issue, while others called for him to be kicked out of the NFL

Fellow athletes also waded into the debate. Former quarterback and ESPN pundit Matthew Hasselbeck did not appear to support Kaepernick's stance

Tyler Polumbus, who played in Super Bowl 50 with the Colts, also took issue with the protest - saying there are better ways of making the point than disrespecting the anthem

Tiki Barber, a former running back with the Giants, also disagreed with Kaepernick, saying he is proud to have stood for the anthem his entire career

Damien Woody, who played for the Patriots during his career, defended Kaepernick's right to protest as a member of a free society

Arian Foster, a current running back for the Dolphins, also spoke in support of Kaepernick

Kaepernick (pictured during the game) said the move is designed to protest the 'oppression' of African Americans and people of color in the US

'There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.'

While Niners head coach Chip Kelly said he was unaware of Kaepernick's planned protest, he stood by the quarterback, saying that not standing during the protest is 'his right as a citizen' and 'it's not my right to tell him not to do something.'

Kelly added that there has not been any discussion of dropping Kaepernick.

The protest appears to be an ongoing event as Kaepernick also sat for the anthem at another two preseason games where he wasn't in uniform.

The athlete has given no indication of when he plans to end the demonstration.

This is hardly the first time that athletes have brought political discussions into the sporting arena, though few protests have been quite as divisive as Kaepernick's.

In 2015 LeBron James spoke out against the deaths of black suspects while in police custody along with some of his Cavaliers teammates.

The star wore a t-shirt reading 'I can't breathe' during warm-up, the last words spoken by Eric Garner before he died while being placed in a choke-hold by cops.

In 2014, four members of the then-St Louis rams walked out on to the field with their arms raised above their heads in an apparent show of solidarity with protesters in Ferguson over the shooting of Mike Brown.

The gesture, along with the chant of 'hands up, don't shoot', has since become a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.

There are also parallels with perhaps the most famous sporting protest of all time, the black power salute given by Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Mexico Olympics in 1968.

Both athletes, who won bronze and gold, stood for the national anthem but raised their fists - in black gloves - to protest the oppression of African Americans.

Kaepernick's father was African American but he was raised by a white couple alongside their two children after being put up for adoption as a youngster

NY Giants offensive guard Justin Pugh led the backlash against Kaepernick, saying he is thankful for all those who make sacrifices for America

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Saturday that 'players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem.'

The 49ers issued a statement after Pro Football Talk initially reported on Kaepernick's stand, saying that Americans have the right to protest or support the anthem.

'The national anthem is and always will be a special part of the pregame ceremony,' the team said.

'It is an opportunity to honor our country and reflect on the great liberties we are afforded as its citizens.

'In respecting such American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression, we recognize the right of an individual to choose to participate, or not, in our celebration of the national anthem.'

Kaepernick, who was put up for adoption as a child after his father left before he was born, was raised by white parents alongside their own children.

He has been outspoken on his Twitter account on civil rights issues and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

However, Kaepernick was embroiled in a race row of his own back in 2014 after he was accused of using the N-word on the pitch.

He was initially fined more than $10,000 and the Giants were penalized during the game, thought that fine was later halved.

The arbitrator in the case ruled that Kaepernick had violated the unsportsmanlike conduct rule, but admitted there was no evidence that 'clearly shows' a racial slur being used.

NY Giants offensive guard Justin Pugh led the backlash against Kaepernick, saying he is thankful for all those who make sacrifices for America.

Giants running back Rashad Jennings, who has advocated for Black Lives Matter, told the New York Daily News he will continue to stand for the national anthem.

Describing himself as an 'optimist', he said: 'I would say that it’s nice to know that we live in a country where sitting down during the anthem won’t land you in jail or worse. But I personally choose to stand and honor the anthem for what I hold it to represent to me.'

Kaepernick is not the first U.S.-based athlete to use the anthem for protest.

In 1996, NBA player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the anthem, saying the United States had a history of tyranny and doing so would conflict with his Islamist beliefs.

The NBA initially suspended Abdul-Rauf for his stance before it was lifted when he said he would stand and pray silently during the song.

Kaepernick said he is not worried about any potential fallout from his protest.

'This is not something that I am going to run by anybody,' he told NFL Media. 'I am not looking for approval. I have to stand up for people that are oppressed.

'If they take football away, my endorsements from me, I know that I stood up for what is right.'

Kaepernick's agent did not immediately return a request for comment.

Kaepernick is in competition to win back the starting quarterback job in San Francisco that he lost to Blaine Gabbert last season.