Beyoncé’s performance of “Formation” at the Super Bowl 50 halftime has received a great deal of backlash from law enforcement with officers threatening to boycott her upcoming tour of the same name. While various officers have voiced their intent to boycott volunteering to work at the world tour, Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam have stepped up to offer security for Bey.
During his keynote speech for the Nation of Islam’s Saviour’s Day 2016, Farrakhan spoke highly of Beyoncé’s stance and slammed those who have been offended by her latest release and performance.
“She started talking all that black stuff, and white folks were like, ‘We don’t know how to deal with that.’ Well you taught us everywhere we went about The Holocaust, but we had sympathy for you. But when one of us shows some independence, look at how you’re treating Beyoncé now.”
Farrakhan also addressed the protest against Beyoncé’s halftime performance and insisted that the Fruit of Islam, the Nation of Islam’s security sector, will provide security if police officers fail to perform their duties during her tour.
“You’re gonna picket, you’re not gonna offer her police protection, but the F.O.I. will,” he said.
Last week, Javier Ortiz, the President of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police, issued a statement asking law enforcement to boycott Beyoncé’s upcoming shows. He justified his decision to boycott her shows by referencing “dozens of law enforcement officers that have been assassinated by members of the Black Panthers.”
Beyoncé’s Formation world tour is slated to kick off on April 27 in Miami and will extend out in North America until June 14 when it wraps in Detroit. She will take the tour overseas beginning on June 28 and hit a string of European cities until July 31.
