Anti-Beyoncé Rally To Take Place After Singer Sparks Controversy With Super Bowl Performance
An anti-Beyoncé rally has been scheduled after the pop superstar’s controversial Super Bowl performance sparked outrage among many, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. According to a report from Billboard, the anti-Beyoncé rally was arranged by an unnamed organizer, and the following passage is what was written in the EventBrite description.
“Join us as we demonstrate on the block of the NFL Headquarters building. Are you offended as an American that Beyoncé pulled her race-baiting stunt at the Superbowl? 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!”
Protestors will host an anti-Beyonce rally at NFL headquarters https://t.co/FTvYMooj4V pic.twitter.com/eFn8nRO94B
— billboard (@billboard) February 10, 2016
According to New York Daily News, the rally’s organizer is calling Beyoncé’s show “hate speech” and “racism” at the Super Bowl because of its references to the Black Panthers and Black Lives Matter.
Following her halftime performance at Sunday’s Super Bowl, Beyoncé faced criticism from several high-profile viewers, such as former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Rep. Peter King (R-Long Island). They claimed her performance was “anti-police,” and King even told CBS2 that the NFL should have canceled her appearance.
“I found the entire show objectionable. It was extolling the Black Panthers who were a terrorist organization, killing police officers in the 60s and 70s,” King was quoted as saying.
“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.”
Although the British band Coldplay was the highlight during the intermission of the Super Bowl last Sunday, it was the singer Beyoncé that captured everyone’s attention. The 34-year-old “Formation” singer delivered an electrifying performance, which was an apparent reference to the Black Panthers, a radical group which had its heyday in the 60s.
One day before the event, Beyoncé released a controversial video of the same song that starts with a scene from the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The video portrays how the authorities treated the black community in New Orleans. Also, it refers to the issue of the rights of African Americans and the deaths of numerous blacks by police, following a year of racial tensions in the United States.
During the presentation at the Super Bowl, Beyoncé wore a black leather jacket with crossed bandoliers across her chest, like those worn by the aforementioned armed militant organization.
Her dancers were also uniformed in black berets and leather, all in apparent reference to the Black Panthers, a radical political group that advocated a hard line against white domination. The Black Panther Party’s core practice was its armed citizens’ patrols to monitor the behavior of police officers and challenge police brutality.
The choreography was also controversial. The backup dancers formed a X in midfield, referring to activist Malcolm X. Later, after the presentation, Beyoncé’s mother released a photo via social networks with the dancers doing the black power salute with raised fist. The photo was posted to Twitter, and it showed several dancers giving the black power salute while holding a sign reading, “Justice for Mario Woods.” Woods was shot by police after refusing to drop a knife in 2015.
[Image via Twitter]
