An ‘Anti-Beyoncé Protest’ will be held at New York’s NFL Headquarters on Tuesday, February 16.
It’s in response to Queen Bey’s controversial Super Bowl performance, which made reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, the Black Panther Party and Malcolm X.
Organisers of the protest have labelled the NFL’s half-time show as ‘a race-baiting stunt’ that was ‘a slap in the face to law enforcement.’
They have asked supporters of their campaign to wear blue at Tuesday’s rally to stand in solidarity with Police.
They are encouraging people to use the hash tags #BoycottBeyonce, #BlueLivesMatter, #WhiteLivesMatterToo, and #AllLivesMatter when protesting on social media.
They have also sent a Letter to the NFL Commissioner, condemning the league's support of ‘cop-killer entertainment’ and calling for a public apology.
“Let's tell the NFL we don't want hate speech and racism at the Super Bowl ever again,” they wrote on their event page.
Beyonce's performance first came under fire on February 8 when she posed with her fist in the air, giving the Black Power salute first used by Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics.
Her backup dancers wore leather suits and black berets that resembled the apparel worn by the Black Panther Party in the late 1960’s.
Five dancers also posted this photo on Instagram, which was then shared via #BlackLivesMatter on Twitter.
They were paying their respects to Mario Woods, an African-American man killed by San Francisco police in December, 2015.
.@Beyonce's Dancers and band want #JusticeMarioWoods #Last3Percent #SB50 pic.twitter.com/D3eKZNgAox — BLM Bay area (@BLMBAYAREA) February 8, 2016
In response, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said the Super Bowl is not “a platform to attack police officers."
"This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that [Beyoncé] used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive,” he said during an interview with Fox News.
An online group known as ‘Black Girl Rising’ disagree with this statement.
They have organised a counter-protest on Tuesday in support of Beyonce and her stance against police violence in the US.
“We are tired of police officers killing our young black men and women. We're tired of the senseless deaths of Treyvon Martin, Mike Brown, Sandra Bland, and the countless others that have lost their lives,” said Black Girl Rising.
They have asked their 'sisters' to wear “Super Bowl performance-inspired gear: black hats, big hair, black clothes.”
Both protests will take place at NFL Headquarters in New York from 8am-4pm.
