Louisiana Authorities Won’t Charge Member of Super Bowl Halftime Show for Flag Protest

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The cast member who displayed the Palestinian flag with the word “GAZA” in protest during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show will not face charges, New Orleans police said Monday.

The banner combined the black stripes of the flags honored by the Sudanese and Palestinian peoples and also had the word SUDAN on it. The cast member, one of dozens of dancers clad in identical black sweats, held it high while standing on the roof of the car that was a centerpiece of the hip-hop artist’s performance, and then jumped off the stage and ran across the field before being tackled by several men in suits.

The cast member had hidden the flag and “no one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent,” the NFL said Sunday, adding that the person has earned a lifetime ban from league stadiums and events.

Roc Nation, the entertainment company which produced the halftime show, said in a statement provided by the NFL that the flag display was not planned.

President Donald Trump was in the stadium for the game, but it wasn’t clear if he saw the protest. Trump’s comments asserting that his government is committed to buying and owning Gaza have been widely rejected by the Palestinian people, upending discussions about the enclave’s future.