Super Bowl Protester Arrested for On-Stage Gaza Statement During Kendrick Lamar's Set

Kendrick Lamar
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A man who disrupted Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show by waving a Palestinian flag has been arrested more than four months after the televised demonstration.

Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, 41, turned himself in on Thursday, June 26, after Louisiana State Police issued a warrant for his arrest, according to AllHipHop. Officials said Nantambu was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on charges of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace by interrupting a lawful assembly.

Flag Waved on Stage as Lamar Closed Halftime Performance

The incident occurred on February 9 during Lamar's halftime set at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. As the rapper performed his song "tv off," Nantambu, dressed in all black, broke from his assigned role and ran across the stage holding a flag with the words "Gaza" and "Sudan" written across it. He climbed onto a black Buick GNX parked on stage before being detained by security.

Authorities said Nantambu was hired as a background performer and allowed on the field, but "deviated from his assigned role" and refused to comply with orders to stop. The flag had reportedly been concealed on his person prior to the performance, according to the NFL.

While local police initially stated that Nantambu would not be charged, the Louisiana State Police later conducted an investigation and pursued legal action.

NFL Responds With Permanent Ban

Following the event, the NFL confirmed the protester would be banned for life from all league venues and events. In a statement, the league said, "We take any attempt to disrupt any part of an NFL game, including the halftime show, very seriously and are pleased this individual will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

Nantambu later told NBC News that the action was meant to "highlight the human suffering" linked to the Israel-Hamas war.

He has also recently been named as a victim in a separate high-profile case. According to TMZ Sports, Nantambu was allegedly shot at by former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown during an altercation in Miami in May. Brown faces an attempted murder charge in that case, per records obtained by The Washington Post.

Nantambu's protest occurred during one of the most-watched Super Bowl halftime shows in recent history.

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Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar
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