The protester who brandished a combined Palestinian-Sudanese flag during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was ejected from the Caesars Superdome, but not arrested, the New Orleans Police Department said.
It is “pretty unlikely” the man will be arrested, an official with the police department’s public affairs team told the Daily News, because the Superdome is private property and the stadium’s owner has not pressed charges.
The protester was part of the halftime performance’s 400-person field cast but acted independently Sunday when he unfurled the flag reading “Sudan” and “Gaza,” the NFL said in a statement.
He has been banned for life from NFL stadiums and events.
“The individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show,” the NFL said. “No one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.”
Police said the man would not be identified, but many Instagram users believed a user named fff_zulqarnain identified himself as the protester.
On Monday, that account shared a series of images showing the flag during the performance.
“May Allah grant us the courage, surety, and strength of ‘Moses in Pharoah’s Kingdom,’” read one post’s caption.
The protest came amid a deadly civil war in Sudan and amid the Israel-Hamas war that has decimated the Gaza Strip.
Last week, President Trump voiced his plan for the U.S. to take control of Gaza. In a new interview with Fox News, Trump said Palestinians in Gaza would not receive a right to return under U.S. ownership of the territory.
Images and videos from Sunday’s halftime performance show the protester standing atop a car that was featured on the stage, then bringing the flag to the field, where he was tackled by security.
The demonstration occurred toward the end of Lamar’s era-hopping performance of hits including “Not Like Us,” “Loyalty” and “HUMBLE.”
“The act by the individual was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal,” Roc Nation, an entertainment company that co-produced the halftime show, said in a statement.
Lamar, 37, became the first hip-hop artist to be named a solo headliner of the Super Bowl halftime show. His well-reviewed performance featured cameos by Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, SZA and Mustard.
The Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22.