Anti-Beyonce Protesters Planning Rally Outside NFL Offices
Hey, do you remember who won the Super Bowl? Neither do we, because in the days following the Big Game, we’ve spent no shortage of time fretting over important things like Cam Newton’s press conference and (of course) Beyoncé‘s halftime performance.
Ever since she strutted onto the field to perform her new song “Formation” on Super Sunday, Bey’s been criticized by a parade of Fox News talking heads for “dress[ing] up in a tribute to the Black Panthers” in “a salute to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.” Former America’s Mayor ™ Rudy Giuliani, apparently spotting a microphone with no one standing in front of it, called the performance “ridiculous,” and added, “This is football, not Hollywood. I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers.”
We don’t mean to single out the folks at Fox, either – there were plenty of hot takes on Twitter as well, with some calling for a boycott against Beyoncé. And, rather than attempt to listen to what Bey is trying to say with her song and video, a few folks have heeded that call to action, planning an anti-Beyoncé demonstration outside of NFL headquarters in New York. Their goal? To remove “hate speech and racism” from future Super Bowl performances.
“Are you offended as an American that Beyoncé pulled her race-baiting stunt at the Superbowl? [sic]” the organizers ask. “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.”
We’re assuming this is legit, though the event’s anonymous organizers could not be reached for comment. Regardless, the protest is set to take place on February 16 – the same day tickets to her Formation World Tour go on sale to the general public – but the demonstrators will have some company: An anti-anti-Beyonce rally is also being scheduled at the NFL headquarters on Feb. 16, calling for her supporters to get in formation and celebrate “a very awesome song.”