She reflected a message of anti-police brutality.
At the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, Beyoncé and her dancers wore leather suits that resembled the apparel worn by the Black Panther Party decades ago. Her dancers also wore berets and afros, which the militant anti-racism group also sported. The BPP had several run-ins with the law, some in which officers were wounded, and others in which Panthers were shot and killed. This was because the party was against police brutality in Black neighborhoods and wanted to hold law enforcement accountable. Aside from this, the “Formation” music video also hinted at being anti-police brutality in a few scenes. Those who are protesting Beyoncé for her performance are using the excuse that she was being “anti-police.”
“This is football, not Hollywood, and 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,” former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani told New York Daily News.
The Proud of the Blues protest group cited her song as “hate speech” and questioned whether it was “a slap in the face to law enforcement.” It’s quite telling that both of these groups seem to think a message against brutality is a message against police.
