‘Kendrick-bowl’ didn’t come without its controversies, as a Palestine and Sudan solidarity flag was raised, unplanned, during the performance.
Protester Zül-Qarnaįn Nantambu unveiled a flag with the words ‘Sudan’ and ‘Gaza’ written on it amid Kendrick’s performance. After unveiling the flag, Nantambu was quickly tackled, handcuffed and removed by security.
Nantambu, a 41-year-old Muslim from New Orleans, unveiled the flag in an attempt to raise awareness on a international-scale for ongoing conflicts in the middle east.
The protest took place shortly after President Donald Trump had announced plans for areas of Palestine to become a U.S. owned ‘Rivieria of the Middle East’ and to displace Palestinians from their home country.
The protest was not part of Lamar’s rehearsals, nor was it arranged in the choreography. In a statement, an NFL spokesperson said: “He [Nantambu] 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.”
Speaking to CNN, Nantambu said: “All these people with so much affluence and so much following and God, put the flag before their eyes, put their struggle, their plight, right before their eyes. Right in the face of Donald Trump, the same man that was just sitting with Netanyahu, talking about redoing Gaza without the Gazans.”
The New Orleans Police Department have said that there is no arrest or summons in this case, but Nantambu has been barred for life from all NFL stadiums and events.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called the demonstrator a hero. They said: “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,”.
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