Super Bowl performer detained after unfurling Sudan-Palestine flag

A flag is raised during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

NEW ORLEANS — A performer in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was detained on the field and could face charges after unfurling a combination Sudan-Palestine flag with “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it.

The NFL confirmed the person was part of the 400-member field cast. The New Orleans Police Department said in a statement that “law enforcement is working to determine applicable charges in this incident.”

“The individual will (be) banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in an emailed statement.

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The performer stood on a car used as a prop for Lamar’s performance and held up the flag. The NFL said “the individual hid the item and unveiled it late in the show” and that “no one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.”

Roc Nation, the entertainment company which produced the show, said that the act “was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal.”

The show continued without interruption, and it did not seem as though the person was shown on the broadcast of Lamar’s performance.