Keep Up With Global Black News

Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest updates and events from the leading Afro-Diaspora publisher straight to your inbox.

Avatar photo
BY Francis Akhalbey, 7:43am February 11, 2025,

Super Bowl halftime dancer with Palestinian-Sudanese flag punished, but won’t be charged

Avatar photo
by Francis Akhalbey, 7:43am February 11, 2025,
New Orleans authorities said they won't be bringing charges against the Super Bowl halftime dancer who waved a Palestinian-Sudanese flag -- Image via Social Media

New Orleans police on Monday said they won’t be bringing any charges against the Super Bowl halftime dancer who displayed a Palestinian-Sudanese flag during Kendrick Lamar’s set, The Associated Press reported. 

Videos of the incident circulated on social media showed the individual, who was part of a group of performers in all-black outfits, standing on a car and displaying the flag. The flag had the words “GAZA” and “SUDAN” written on it. 

The performer was later subdued by security after getting down from the car and sprinting around the stage. In a statement on Sunday, the NFL said the performer in question was “part of the 400-member field cast,” NBC News reported.

“We commend security for quickly detaining the individual who displayed the flag,” the NFL added. “He was a part of the 400-member field cast. The individual hid the item on his possession and unveiled it late in the show. No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.” 

The NFL also said the performer will be given a lifetime ban “from all NFL stadiums and events.”

The Super Bowl Halftime show is produced by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation outfit. A company representative stated that the “act by the individual was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal.”

READ ALSO: How Sudan came to have its name, and why there are two Sudans

Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans was attended by several celebrities and high-profile figures including U.S. President Donald Trump. It could, however, not be established if the protester’s actions caught Trump’s eye. 

Sunday’s incident also came after Trump proposed the resettlement of displaced Palestinians to pave way for a project that would transform Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East,” The Associated Press reported.

“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too,” Trump said during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We’ll make sure that it’s done world-class. It’ll be wonderful for the people — Palestinians, Palestinians mostly, we’re talking about.”

But U.S. allies including Egypt and Jordan are not in support of Trump’s proposal, explaining that resettling displaced Palestinians from the war-torn Gaza will exacerbate tensions and negatively impact security in the Middle East. 

READ ALSO: This is what Kendrick Lamar will earn for the Super Bowl halftime show

Last Edited by:Mildred Europa Taylor Updated: February 11, 2025

Conversations

Close

Must Read

Connect with us

Join our Mailing List to Receive Updates

Face2face Africa | Afrobeatz+ | BlackStars

Keep Up With Global Black News and Events

Sign up to our newsletter to get the latest updates and events from the leading Afro-Diaspora publisher straight to your inbox, plus our curated weekly brief with top stories across our platforms.