Demonstrator detained after unfurling flag with the words ‘Gaza’ and ‘Sudan’ at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.
A protester carrying a Palestinian flag has been detained after interrupting rapper Kendrick Lamar’s half-time show at the NFL Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, the United States.
The man jumped onto a car that headline act Lamar had used during his performance at Caesars Superdome on Sunday.
The New Orleans Police Department said in a statement quoted by the Associated Press that it was “working to determine applicable charges in this incident.”
The game, which ended with a 42-20 win for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs, continued as scheduled after the protester was escorted from the field immediately after the incident.
The demonstrator, holding a Palestinian flag with the words “Gaza” and “Sudan” written across it, jumped from the car and ran in circles on the field after being spotted by security staff.
The protester, believed to be a production cast member, was dressed in clothing similar to that of the numerous dancers and flag bearers who were part of Lamar’s much-anticipated performance.
Donald Trump was in attendance at the game, the first time a sitting US president attended the Super Bowl, and was flanked in the stand by his daughter Ivanka and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Trump left the stadium slightly before the end of the game but was in attendance for the half-time show.
Actor Samuel L Jackson, famed for his roles in Pulp Fiction and Star Wars, was also on stage with Lamar and fellow recording artist SZA when the protest took place.
The production continued without interruption and the television broadcast quickly cut away from the protester, who was only briefly glimpsed in the background.
Spectators were able to record the moment, which was then shared widely on social media.
