Beyonce was a special guest at Super Bowl 50 as a halftime performer, but a lot of people didn’t appreciate her presence.
The singer used the big stage to make a nod to the Black Panthers movement, wearing leather and black berets. She, along with her dancers, also formed an “X” shape, which some have said was a subtle tribute to Malcolm X.
Her song “Formation” was released a day before the Super Bowl and includes references to shootings of black people by police officers. She performed this song during halftime, and it angered enough people to start a protest in New York City outside of NFL headquarters.
“Are you offended as an American that Beyoncé pulled her race-baiting stunt at the Superbowl?” the protest page asks. “Do you agree that it was a slap in the face to law enforcement? Do you agree that the Black Panthers was/is a hate group which should not be glorified? Come and let’s stand together. Let’s tell the NFL we don’t want hate speech & racism at the Superbowl ever again!”
The page asks its supporters to “be peaceful” as they plan to protest next Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Many have been critical of Beyonce’s performance and her song, including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
“This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive,” Giuliani told Fox News. “And what we should be doing in the African-American community, and all communities, is build up respect for police officers, and focus on the fact that when something does go wrong, okay, we’ll work on that.”
By Jordan Heck