NEW ORLEANS, La. (Diya TV) — At the time of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show at the Caesars Superdome, Zül-Qarnain Nantambu, a member of the field cast, displayed a flag bearing a mixture of Sudanese and Palestinian imagery as well as the words “Sudan” and “Gaza.”
Diya TV caught the action as it happened and shared it with the world on social media. Our video of Nantambu unfurling the flags has received hundreds of millions of views globally.
His effort aimed at showing solidarity with victims of ongoing wars, led to his arrest and subsequent removal from the stadium. The National Football League (NFL) has since imposed a lifetime ban on Nantambu from attending all league events.
In a conversation with Al Jazeera, when asked if he would have gone ahead with the protest if he knew it would result in a lifetime ban, Nantambu said, “The risk of a ban? I was scared I’d get sniped by a Secret Service bullet. I can watch a football game on TV if I want to, sir.”
The NFL affirmed that while Nantambu was among the 400 members of the field cast, his actions were unauthorized. Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesperson, stated, “The individual concealed the item on his person and revealed it late in the show. No one associated with the production knew about the individual’s intentions.”
Nantambu explained that neither Kendrick Lamar nor the production crew was aware of his intentions. He emphasized that his demonstration was aimed at highlighting the contrast between the luxuries felt in the United States and the difficulties faced by people in conflict areas.
