By Bronte Price, PolitcKING
Former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, made waves on Monday after describing Beyonce’s Superbowl performance as “outrageous” and an “attack on police.” While on a Fox talk show this morning, Giuliani was asked by Fox News anchor, Anna Kooiman, what he thought of the performance. “Beyoncé got a police escort there and then she gives a salute to the Black Lives Matter movement,” Kooiman asked. “It was a nod to 1966 founding of the Black Panther Party. What did you think of that?”
Giuliani responded, outlining his distaste for the performance. “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,” he said.
Beyoncé Formation video & #SB50 act was anti-police, shameful. Repeats big lie of Michael Brown innocence.Cops deserve support not criminals
— Rep. Pete King (@RepPeteKing) February 8, 2016
The former mayor went on to comment on his frustration with how the police are being portrayed in America. “What we should be doing in the African American community, and all communities, is build up respect for police officers. And focus on the fact that when something does go wrong, okay,” he continued. “We’ll work on that. But the vast majority of police officers risk their lives to keep us safe.”
Beyonce’s halftime performance, while in the midst of Black History Month, had a theme of black empowerment. In a recent interview with Essence Magazine, Marni Senofonte, who styled Beyoncé for the show, spoke about Beyoncé’s fashion choices for the performance. “It was important to her to honor the beauty of strong Black women and celebrate the unity that fuels their power,” Senofonte said. “One of the best examples of that is the image of the female Black Panther. The women of the Black Panther Party created a sisterhood and worked right alongside their men fighting police brutality and creating community social programs.”
At #SB50, Beyoncé brought the black South, and its formation, into the conversation https://t.co/6ELicHRfSHpic.twitter.com/ehdfeNLzF5
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) February 8, 2016
Beyoncé’s dancers also made a political statement at the performance when they held up a sign that read “Justice 4 Mario Woods.” 26 year old Mario Woods was shot and killed by San Francisco police in December. Police claim that Woods posed a threat to their safety when he lunged toward them. However, videos recorded by bystanders show Woods trying to walk away when police opened fire.
This #BlackLivesMatter moment with Beyoncé's backup dancers happened off-screen at the #SB50 halftime show:https://t.co/6tGEx3QGI7
— AJ+ (@ajplus) February 8, 2016
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.
