At the 59th annual Super Bowl Halftime Show, a protester held a Sudanese Palestinian flag with the words “SUDAN” and “GAZA” written across which led to him being banned from NFL events for life, according to Stereogum.
This protesters flag wave was one of many political references apart from Kendrick Lamar’s performance. During Lamar’s song, “tv off,” the man who was one of his performers stood on top of the car used as a prop and held the flag up until stadium personnel caught him and removed him from the stage.
He held it out with both hands so viewers could read the words and understand his efforts to show solidarity against the war efforts that have damaged both nations.
The producer of the show, Roc Nation, assured the protest was not planned in advance as part of the show and wasn’t practiced in any of the rehearsals. New Orleans police are currently working to find applicable charges against the protester which might present difficulty with the First Amendment in place.
The NFL said in a statement, “We commend security for quickly detaining the individual who displayed the flag” … “He was a part of the 400-member field cast. The individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show. No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.
Lamar has been recognized with many awards such as a Pulitzer Prize for his thought-provoking music and gave a performance scattered with messages as he has done in all his work. A subtle political message in Lamar’s performance was his choice of set, which was made to replicate a prison yard. This design was meant to highlight the issue of mass incarceration and the much higher rates that black Americans are incarcerated compared to white Americans, even for the same crimes.
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