Kendrick Lamar performer who held up pro-Gaza flag during Super Bowl halftime show is arrested
A performer at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show has been arrested more than four months after police say he held up a Sudanese flag with the message “Sudan and Free Gaza.”
Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu, 41, of New Orleans, had permission to be on the field during the performance but “deviated from his assigned role” after he interrupted the show on February 9, Louisiana State Police said Thursday.
Nantambu surrendered after an arrest warrant was obtained, state police said. He was booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on charges of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace by interruption of a lawful assembly.
“In coordination with the National Football League, troopers learned that Nantambu had permission to be on the field during the performance, but did not have permission to demonstrate as he did,” state police said.
The cast member was among dozens of dancers wearing black outfits. He held the flag in the air while standing on the roof of a car that was a main feature of the hip-hop artist’s performance. He then jumped off stage and ran across the field before being tackled by several men in suits.
State police say troopers began investigating shortly after the game at the Caesars Superdome. Security and law enforcement personnel ran after him and he refused to comply with their commands to stop.
Neither jail records nor online court records list a lawyer for Nantambu who could be reached for comment.
The arrest comes after New Orleans police said shortly after the football game the cast member would not face charges. But it was Louisiana State Police who announced the charges Thursday.
New Orleans police initially responded, but Louisiana State Police then took over the investigation, partly due to the performer’s access to a highly secured area, Louisiana State Police Sgt. Katharine Stegall said in an email to The Associated Press.
The NFL on Thursday said it commends the Louisiana State Police for “its diligence and professionalism.”
“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,” the NFL said. “In addition to the ongoing criminal case, the NFL banned the individual from attending any NFL games or events.”
President Donald Trump was in the stadium for the game, but it wasn’t clear if he saw the protest.
