The performer who raised a dual Sudanese-Palestinian flag during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show says he has no regrets about the stunt, which exposed a massive security failure for a major event attended by the US president.
Zül-Qarnain Nantambu confirmed that he unfurled the banner, emblazoned with the words ‘Sudan’ and ‘Gaza,’ in New Orleans on Sunday evening as a message of solidarity to the victims of those conflicts.
Nantambu stood on a car used as a prop for Lamar’s show and held up the flag, before running around the field and then being wrestled by security staff and ejected from the stadium.
He has been banned from NFL stadiums and events for life, but not yet been charged for the protest, which was seen by millions of people and underscored a huge lapse in security for event organizers.
The self-styled ‘freedom fighter’ insists his protest was ‘not political’ but rather a sign of solidarity with suffering Muslims in those hotspots, while repeatedly saying he was inspired to act by his faith in Islam.
‘Praise to be Allah. By the mercy and permission of Allah, it was me,’ Nantambu told DailyMail.com.
The protest was a way of ‘showing solidarity with the people suffering over there,’ he added.
‘We live a life of luxury in comparison to what they’re going through,’ he said.
Still, in other social media posts, Nantambu has taken a tougher line against Israel, calling for the ‘liberation’ of the whole region, echoing the sentiments of many pro-Palestine activists.
Nantambu is a bearded hip hop artist, filmmaker, fashion designer and self-styled ‘freedom fighter,’ who talks about politics and being a Muslim in modern-day America in his YouTube channel Open Book Platform.
He often posts photos of himself with his sons and wearing vintage military-style clothing.
His protest came after 15 months of fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants that has devastated the coastal Gaza territory, and as Sudan’s bloody civil war has been raging for nearly two years.
‘I wanted to show that we all are united, and they are loved,’ said the 43-year-old New Orleans native.
‘They are loved here by believers. They are prayed for here by believers. And we’re in solidarity and unity with them, praying for the betterment of that situation.’
Nantambu says he was hired as a ‘participant’ in the show and was part of Super Bowl preparations over the previous two weeks.
He says he deliberately unfurled his flag at the same time other banners were displayed as part of Lamar’s set, but that the celebrated rapper knew nothing about Nantambu’s activism.
‘It wasn’t a part of [Lamar’s] plan. I don’t want to attribute any of that to him because he didn’t know anything about that,’ said Nantambu.
Political protests are prohibited at NFL and other major sporting events.
The apparent ease with which Nantambu was able to take his message to a crowd of millions is widely seen as an embarrassment for the security teams and organizers of the iconic event.
Nantambu has posted about his demonstration on social media, and has received praised for standing up for Muslims and drawing attention to the conflicts.
The Instagram account nola4palestine lauded Nantambu, saying his ‘single brave act sparked the internet like no multi-million dollar Zionist propaganda ever could.’
‘Shout out to this brave Muslim activist from New Orleans! Alhamdulilah he was released without charge after being tackled by NFL staff. Now show him some love for forcing the whole world to talk about ��������.’
But Nantambu says he does not seek the limelight.
‘I’m just a servant,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to be exalted. I don’t want to be praised.’
The NFL confirmed the protestor was part of the 400-member field cast.
‘The individual will (be) banned for life from all NFL stadiums and events,’ NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in an emailed statement.
The NFL said ‘the individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show’ and that ‘no one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.’
Roc Nation, the entertainment company which produced the show, said that the act ‘was neither planned nor part of the production and was never in any rehearsal.’
The New Orleans Police Department said in a statement that ‘law enforcement is working to determine applicable charges in this incident.’
‘No arrest nor summons was issued,’ said the statement.
‘The NOPD continues to work with NFL and the halftime production team to ascertain any affiliation the individual may have had with the halftime show.’
The show continued without interruption, and it did not seem as though the person was shown on the broadcast of Lamar’s performance.