Super Bowl halftime performer detained after raising Palestinian and Sudanese flags

Nadine Osman

A performer during the Super Bowl halftime show, on February 9, was detained after displaying Palestinian and Sudanese flags. Zül-Qarnain Nantambu, a New Orleans-based artist, part of the 400-member cast, raised the flags marked with the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” while standing on a car during Kendrick Lamar’s performance.

Despite the mere seconds of screen time, his protest captured national attention. “I don’t get caught up in politics or anything,” he told The Intercept, adding, “What’s going on in these places are inhumane. The civil war in Sudan, the oppression and the war and the tyranny that’s going on in Gaza, is inhumane. And these people are connected with us all as humans, and especially with me in faith.”

Al Jazeera anchor: “In response to your protest, the NFL says you’ll now be banned for life. Would you still have done it if you knew the risks?”

Super Bowl protester Zul-Qarnain Nantambu: “The risk of a ban? I was afraid I’d get sniped by a Secret Service bullet. I can watch a… pic.twitter.com/nBTKfKqymb

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) February 11, 2025

The National Football League (NFL) confirmed that Nantambu had hidden the flags and only revealed them late in the show, without informing the production staff. The league clarified, “No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.”

A separate statement from an NFL spokesperson, Brian McCarthy, said Nantambu would be “banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events.”

New Orleans police are investigating the incident to determine what charges might apply. The flags, bearing “Sudan” and “Gaza,” represent the ongoing struggles in those regions—Gaza suffering from a prolonged war between Israel and Hamas, and Sudan enduring a UAE-backed civil conflict that began in 2023.

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.” Despite the disruption, the show continued as scheduled, and the protester was not shown on the broadcast.