CNN
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The Super Bowl halftime performer who held up the Sudanese and Palestinian flags in protest during Sunday night’s performance in New Orleans will be banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events, a league spokesperson told CNN.
The protester was confirmed by the NFL to be part of Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show. The individual acted without coordinating with showrunners, the league said.
Here’s what we know.
What happened?
The protest occurred late in Lamar’s set, soon after he launched into his performance of his song “tv off.”
Footage and photos show the protester was clad in black – matching the dancers nearby – with what appears to be a combination of the Sudanese and Palestinian flags, reading “Sudan” and “Gaza,” respectively.
The protester was first seen standing atop a black car used as part of the stage. Video captured by CNN affiliate WDSU then shows the individual running onto the field with the flag before security personnel grab him.
The flags were briefly seen in the background during the Super Bowl broadcast.
Who is the protester?
The demonstrator has not been named by officials, but the NFL confirmed the individual was one of the 400-member cast that performed on the field.
New Orleans-based artist Zül-Qarnain Nantambu identified himself to multiple news outlets as the ejected performer. CNN has reached out to Nantambu for comment.
The New Orleans Police Department described the demonstrator only as an adult Black man, saying he was ejected from the stadium after being detained. As of Monday morning, it appeared the individual would not face further consequences, with police indicating he was not arrested.
“No arrest nor summons was issued,” the NOPD said in a news release. “As such, the individual will not be identified.”
“The NOPD continues to work with NFL and the halftime production team to ascertain any affiliation the individual may have had with the halftime show,” the release added.
An NFL spokesperson commended security for “quickly detaining” the individual, saying in a statement late Sunday, “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 protest was not planned nor did it occur in any of the halftime show rehearsals, according to a separate statement by Roc Nation, the Jay-Z-owned company that serves as an entertainment adviser to the NFL.
CNN has sought comment from representatives for Lamar.
What was the protest about?
The demonstration was evidently about the ongoing conflicts ravaging Sudan and Gaza, where millions of people have been gripped by humanitarian crises.
In a conversation with The Intercept, Nantambu said he wanted to highlight human suffering, and said he can’t live in America “without trying to help or bring attention to it.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group, called the demonstrator a hero.
“This brave act of peaceful protest should serve as a reminder that many Americans recognize the humanity of those suffering abroad as a result of American foreign policy,” a statement Monday from CAIR said.
While a ceasefire took effect last month, much of Gaza has been destroyed over the last 16 months as Israel bombarded the enclave in response to the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, and 1.9 million people – about 90% of Gaza’s population – have been displaced, according to the United Nations.
In Sudan, thousands have died and millions have been displaced amid a civil war between two generals competing for territory: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The war, which began in April 2023, has since spiraled into one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes. The US has previously determined both sides have committed war crimes, and last month, outgoing-Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the RSF had committed genocide – the nation’s second in less than three decades.
CNN’s Kyle Feldscher, Zoe Sottile and Wayne Sterling contributed to this report.
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