During the Super Bowl halftime show in New Orleans yesterday, a performer raised Sudanese and Palestinian flags in protest, and this individual will be permanently banned from all NFL stadiums and events. NFL officials have confirmed that the protester was one of the performers in Kendrick Lamar's halftime show. The league stated that this individual's actions were not coordinated with the show's production team, highlighting the unsanctioned nature of the demonstration.
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02-11, 2025The protest occurred near the end of Lamar's performance, just after he began singing the song "tv off." Videos and photos taken show the protester wearing black clothing—matching nearby dancers—and holding what appeared to be a combination of Sudanese and Palestinian flags, labeled "Sudan" and "Gaza" respectively. The protester was initially spotted on top of a black car being used as part of the stage, drawing immediate attention.
Video footage captured by CNN affiliate WDSU shows the protester running towards the center of the field with the flags before being apprehended by security personnel. The flags were briefly visible in the background during the Super Bowl broadcast. The demonstrator's identity has not been publicly released, but the NFL confirmed that the person was one of the 400 performers involved in the show, emphasizing the scale of the event and the difficulty of screening individual actions.
The New Orleans Police Department only described the demonstrator as an adult Black male and stated that he was escorted from the stadium after being detained. As of now, the individual does not appear to be facing further legal consequences, with police stating that he was not arrested. "No arrest warrant or summons was issued," the New Orleans Police Department said in a news release. "Therefore, the individual will not be identified." The news release added: "The New Orleans Police Department will continue to work with the NFL and the halftime show production team to determine any potential association the individual may have with the halftime show," ensuring a thorough investigation into the incident.
An NFL spokesperson praised security personnel for their "swift apprehension" of the individual, stating in a statement: "The individual had items concealed and was able to display them late in the performance. No one affiliated with the production knew about the individual's intentions." Roc Nation, the company owned by Jay-Z that provides entertainment consulting services to the NFL, said in a separate statement that the protest was not planned and did not occur during any halftime show rehearsals, underscoring the element of surprise. CNN has sought comment from Lamar's representatives regarding the situation.
The demonstration was clearly about the ongoing conflicts ravaging Sudan and Gaza, where millions of people are suffering humanitarian crises. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group, called the demonstrator a hero. "This brave act of peaceful protest should remind people that many Americans recognize the humanity of those who are suffering abroad because of U.S. foreign policy," CAIR said in a statement, highlighting the broader implications of the protest.
Although a ceasefire agreement went into effect last month, much of Gaza has been destroyed in the past 16 months as Israel has bombarded the region in response to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. According to the United Nations, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed and 1.9 million people—about 90% of Gaza’s population—have been displaced, painting a grim picture of the region's devastation.
In Sudan, thousands have died and millions have been displaced in a civil war between two generals vying for territory: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The war, which began in April 2023, has since spiraled into one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. The United States has previously determined that both sides have committed war crimes, and last month, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Rapid Support Forces had committed genocide – the country’s second in nearly three decades, underscoring the severity of the situation.
