Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Halftime Performer Arrested After On-Field Gaza & Sudan Protest
Four and a half months after Super Bowl LIX took place at New Orleans' Caesars Superdome, police have arrested the performer responsible for a Gaza protest during Kendrick Lamar's halftime show.
On Thursday (June 26), Louisiana State Police announced that they arrested 41-year-old performer Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu for 'resisting an officer' and 'disturbing the peace by interruption of a lawful assembly' during the 2025 Super Bowl. According to a press release from police superintendent Col. Robert Hughes, Nantambu 'surrendered himself through coordination with his attorney' and has been booked.
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During Lamar's performance, Nantambu, who was hired as a backup performer for the show, broke away from his choreography during 'TV Off' and began waving a Sudanese flag with 'SUDAN' and 'GAZA' painted across it. He was then chased and tackled by security personnel and apprehended by New Orleans police.
After he was initially arrested, Nantambu was released without charges, but was banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events. A spokesperson for the Super Bowl Halftime Show at the time said that 'no one involved with the production was aware of the individual's intent.'
In a statement given to Billboard, Louisiana State Police public affairs supervisor Sgt. Katharine Stegall confirmed that the department 'assumed investigative responsibility' into Nantambu's on-field protest after he was released by New Orleans police. 'Our agency's continued investigation ensured a comprehensive review of all security protocols and actions taken, in coordination with the NFL, and other stakeholders,' she said.
The NFL released their own statement following the announcement, thanking the LSP for 'its diligence and professionalism in this matter,' while maintaining its lifetime ban on Nantambu. '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 statement read.
In an interview with NBC News following the halftime show, Nantambu said he wanted to use his performance to 'highlight the human suffering' occurring in Gaza as a result of the ongoing Israel-Gaza war, as well as in the Sudanese civil war. During the interview, Nantambu called on President Donald Trump to 'be empathetic and compassionate to those who are suffering in Palestine' and to 'do what is right by the Palestinians … and if he can, help the Sudanese.'
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