Super Bowl LIX: Protester detained after waving Palestine-Sudan flag during Kendrick Lemar's halftime show
A protester who unfurled a Palestinian and Sudanese flag during Kendrick Lemar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show was detained on the field.
Attendees at the NFL championship match at the New Orleans Caesars Superdome on Sunday night (February 9) watched as what appeared to be one of the dancers in the show pulled out a Sudan-Palestine flag with the words ‘GAZA’ and ‘SUDAN’ written on it. The moment did not appear to be broadcast on television during Kendrick Lemar’s halftime performance but was caught by those in attendance at the match.
The protester, who was dressed in an all-black outfit worn by some sections of the dancers, stood on top of a prop car as they unfurled the flag. The NFL confirmed that they were part of the 400-person cast.
The organisation said in a statement: “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.”
The protester was tackled and detained by security on the field, with New Orleans Police Department confirming in a statement that “law enforcement is working to determine applicable charges in this incident”. Roc Nation, which produced the halftime show, said that the protest “was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal.”
Lemar took to the field during the Super Bowl LIX match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. The rapper took to the field to perform hits such as ‘Not Like Us’, ‘Humble’ and brought out guest singer SZA. In, the match, the Eagles went on to demolish the Chiefs 40-22, claiming their second Super Bowl victory.