Dancer Who Waved Sudan and Gaza Flag During Super Bowl Hit With NFL Ban, But No Charges
A cast member who unfurled a banner combining the Palestinian and Sudanese flags during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show received a lifetime ban from NFL stadiums and events
During Kendrick Lamar‘s performance at Super Bowl LIV, the rapper declared: “The revolution about to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy.” While viewers continue to explore the political notions of the music and imagery present in his performance, new details have emerged about an element of the revolution that didn’t make it onto the big screen: the dancer who unfurled a banner combining the Palestinian and Sudanese flags during the halftime show.
The New Orleans Police Department initially stated that “law enforcement is working to determine applicable charges in this incident.” But it seems their search was unsuccessful. The performer will not face any criminal charges for the protest. The worst of his penalties at the moment is a lifetime ban from NFL stadiums and events.
According to the NFL, the performer seen in a viral video captured from an attendee in the stands “hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show.” There were 400 dancers and crew members present on the field, but the flag-bearer stood out when he waved the banner from on top of the gutted GNX car stationed on one of the rapper’s four stages before running across the field.
“No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent,” said NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy, per Associated Press. Roc Nation, which produced the show, corroborated this report in their own statement, noting the protest “was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal.”
In January, Donald Trump — who was in attendance at Sunday night’s game — referred to the Gaza Strip as a “demolition site,” adding: “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing.” The mass destruction of infrastructure came by way of the Israeli military’s attacks on the city in which nearly all 2 million Palestinians were forcibly displaced from their homes and an estimated 45,000 and 65,000 Palestinians were killed since October 2023.
In Sudan, More than 28,000 people have been killed in conflict between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces since 2023, per Associated Press. Millions have fled their homes, and just last week, the Trump administration pulled the rug on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The halt in humanitarian work abroad has impacted missions supporting victims of war and children suffering from malnutrition in Sudan.
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