The Dancer Who Raised the Palestinian Flag at the Kendrick Lamar Super Cup.

The Super Bowl Performance

The dancer, who waved the flags of Palestine and Sudan during a break in Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance, faced no charges for the act, but received a lifelong ban from NFL stadiums and events.

At the conclusion of the show on February 9, a member of Lamar’s team unfolded a banner featuring the flags of Palestine and Sudan, with the words “Sudan” and “gas” inscribed on it.

• Read more: Rank 10 of the best breaks of the Super Bowl in history

Following this, he leapt from the stage and ran across the field while waving the flag. He was soon pursued by security, eventually being taken to the ground and escorted off the field.

In a statement reported by NBC, an NFL representative said: “We advise that safety promptly detain the individual who displayed the flag. He was part of a group of 400 members.”

Response and Reactions

The NFL confirmed that the unidentified protester was a crew member who acted without authorization. “The individual concealed the object in his possession and revealed it at the end of the performance,” the statement read. “No one associated with the production was aware of the person’s intentions.”

Roc Nation, which produced the halftime show, also acknowledged this in a separate statement, asserting that the stunt “was not planned, was not part of the production, and was never rehearsed.”

The Protestator with the Palestinian flag stormed the scene during Kendrick Lamar #Superbowl Impulses pic.twitter.com/238WCL9S4X

– The state of the mind in the bay (@Yayareanews) February 10, 2025

The New Orleans police department initially stated that “law enforcement agencies were working to determine the applicable charges in this incident.”

Subsequently, it was reported that the individual would not face any criminal charges for waving the flags; however, he received a lifelong ban from NFL stadiums and events (as noted by Katya Stone).

This incident unfolded shortly after President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for the U.S. to “take on” gas and displace a significant portion of the Palestinian population. Trump was in attendance at the game in New Orleans, where the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Philadelphia Eagles.

In a recent press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president stated that the U.S. would “take on a series of gas” with “long-term power.”

Trump estimated that approximately 1.8 million of nearly 2.3 million Palestinians living in Gaza would need to be relocated to transform what he deemed the “Hell hole” into the “Middle East Riviera.”

Reflection on the Situation

Last month marked the beginning of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, which heightened following the resurgence of the ten-year conflict last October, when many musicians called for a cessation of hostilities.

Last year, poet George accused Kendrick Lamar of being a “non-revolutionary cosplaying as a revolutionary” in an interview with Keeper Field.

“(He is someone) who was silent about very important things in very crucial times,” he said. “And now, when he has a brief moment in the spotlight, we act like a hip-hop savior? I don’t want to be part of this.”

During his Super Bowl speech, Lamar warned: “The revolution that is going on television—you chose a suitable time, but not that guy.”

NME ranked him third in the top 10 best Super Bowl performances in history, stating that “Lamar’s triumphant appearance marks the latest peak in his recent wave of success, showcasing a refreshing track from his last album ‘GNX’ while largely avoiding his more mainstream hits.”

The performance occurred shortly after Lamar won five Grammy Awards in 2025, including “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year” for his track “Not Like Us.”

He released his sixth and final album ‘GNX’ in November of the previous year, which received a glowing five-star review from NME, while “Not Like Us” was named NME’s second-best song of 2024.

In other news, Lamar and SZA announced a joint tour across UK and European stadiums following their epic Super Bowl collaboration. Meanwhile, online streaming of Lamar’s “Not Like Us” surged by 430 percent after the show.