It was either the protest that never was or the one that folks decided they no longer cared about.
The announced anti-Beyonce protest Tuesday morning in front of the NFL Headquarters in New York was a bust. It instead turned into more of a pro-Bey rally, as more supporters than dissidents showed up.
The turnout was so low that one Beyonce supporter held a sign that read, “Where yall at?”
It all began following Beyonce’s “Formation” video release and Super Bowl performance which had some on social media complaining that her Black Lives Matter and Black Panthers themes were offensive and anti-police.
A posting on Eventbrite encouraged those “offended as an American that Beyoncé pulled her race-baiting stunt at the Superbowl” to gather on Tuesday to “show the world that it’s not necessary to be disruptive to America while conveying an effective message to the masses.”
The evite linked back to an under-construction website of a group calling itself “Proud of the Blues — Civilian Fleet” and the hashtag #BoycottBeyonce became a popular one.
Whether the protest was a serious attempt or not, Beyonce supporters had a very real response and called for a counter-protest. And they were the ones who actually turned out on a drizzly Tuesday morning.
New York magazine’s The Cut reported a grand total of three anti-Beyonce protesters, including a man named Ariel Kohane who told reporters he thought the song “Formation” was a call for violence against police.
Early Tuesday a tweet from “Proud of the Blues” account called on protesters to attend.