Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was filled with symbolism—from Uncle Sam(uel L. Jackson) to a crip walking Serena Williams—but perhaps the most powerful symbol on stage was not even planned, according to the producers of the performance.
Standing on the hood of a Buick Grand National GNX (after which Lamar named his most recent album, “GNX”), in a sea of dancers, a man clad in black sweats unfurled the Palestinian and Sudanese flags. He then jumped down from the car and ran along the perimeter of the stage, waving the flags, which had the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on them with a heart and a solidarity fist, before being tackled by security staff.
The NFL identified the protester, who has not been publicly named, as part of the 400-member field cast for the show but said that he had hidden the flags on him. “No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent,” the league said in a statement. Roc Nation, the entertainment company behind the halftime show, said that the act was “neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal.”
The man was detained by security, awaits applicable charges, and has been banned from future NFL events, according to the league and the New Orleans Police Department.
The game, attended by President Donald Trump, took place amid a weekslong ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, pausing the war in Gaza that has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Sudanese civil war between the paramilitary group RSF and the Sudanese military rages on, having killed more than 28,000 people and displacing millions more since April 2023.
The moment has gained significant attention on social media.
Critics labeled the protester a “Hamas supporter” and “terror supporter,” but many more were supportive of the act.
One X user wrote: “Do you understand how wild it is that people are breaking down the symbolism in Kendrick’s performance while a Black man literally got arrested for unfurling Palestine’s and Sudan’s flag during it?! The display of solidarity was clearly the more powerful piece of art!”
Some Lamar fans, despite clarification from the NFL and Roc Nation, assumed the artist endorsed the move by one of his performers. “KENDRICK WENT ON THE BIGGEST STAGE ARGUABLY IN WESTERN MUSIC AND PUT UP THE PALESTINE FLAG WHILE SOMEONE ELSE IS IN THE BUILDING AND THATS HOW I KNOW WE MADE THE RIGHT ONE FAMOUS,” one X user said. “I know the NFL will rake him over the coals for this but I really appreciate the gesture. Thank you Kendrick Lamar,” another wrote.
Others, however, noted that Lamar has not publicly spoken about the wars in Gaza and Sudan. “This should have been part of Kendrick’s performance but he’s not brave enough. His silence on Palestine/Sudan makes his ‘conscious about issues on the world’ music lose a lot of value,” sports journalist Leyla Hamed posted.
But whether or not Lamar was on board, many celebrated the protest for bringing attention to the humanitarian crises in Palestine and Sudan. One wrote: “either way if someone snuck in during the performance and held the sudan and palestine flag up, or it was planned by Kendrick and his backup dancers they were incredibly brave for this and its a reminder to not be distracted from the genocides taking place.”
The post Kendrick Lamar Fans React to Palestinian Flag Protest During Super Bowl Halftime Show appeared first on TIME.
