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Dueling Protests To Be Held Outside NFL Headquarters Over Beyonce’s Super Bowl Performance

February 16, 2016 7:16 AM

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Demonstrators offended by Beyonce’s Super Bowl halftimeperformance will protest outside NFLheadquarters in Manhattan Tuesday, but Beyonce fans are standing behind the singer and planning a protest of their own.

Coldplay may have been the main act of the Super Bowl halftime show, but it was Beyonce who caused the biggest sensation.

Dancers wore leather and black berets, an apparent nod to the Black Panthers movement. One formation seemed to pay tribute to Malcolm X and another had dancers with fists in the air, reminiscent of the black power salutes of the 60s and 70s.

“I found the entire show objectionable, was extolling the Black Panthers, who were a terrorist organization killing police officers in the 60s and 70s,” said Rep. Peter King, (R-Long Island).

Now, the group Proud of the Blues is asking people offended by the performance to stand together at NFL headquarters Tuesday morning wearing as much blue as possible to show their support for police, CBS2’s Diane Macedo reported.

Was @Beyonce's #SuperBowl50performance offensive or empowering? We hear from both sides at NFL hq today@CBSNewYorkpic.twitter.com/oEKpGsUssm

— Diane Macedo (@dianermacedo)February 16, 2016

Meanwhile, Black Girl Rising is organizing a counter rally asking people to dress in black to show their support for Beyonce and the Black Panthers, Macedo reported.

And after Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, both groups may have another performance to talk about.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar performed his song, “The Blacker the Berry,” chained to his dancers while his band played from jail cells. The performance also included a reference to Trayvon Martin, the African-American Florida teen fatally shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer while on his way to visit his father.

While presenting the final award during Grammys, Beyonce also appeared to speak to those critical of her performance. She said, “Art is the unapologetic celebration of culture through self-expression.”