A planned protest of Beyonce‘s Super Bowl halftime Black Lives Matter stunt fizzled Tuesday morning.
Only a handful of protesters showed up to demonstrate against Beyonce outside NFL headquarters in New York City.
National media outlets noted there were more reporters and TV cameras at the protest than protesters.
One protestor even held up a sign that read: “WHERE Y’ALL AT?”
After milling about and posing for the photographers, the disorganized band of demonstrators discarded their handmade signs and went their separate ways.
Maybe the cold weather was to blame or the threat of violence?
The absence of protesters at the anti-Beyonce protest led some in the media to speculate that the whole thing was a publicity stunt to promote Beyonce’s album, Formation, and her upcoming Formation Tour.
The Daily Beast was one of those skeptical media outlets who questioned the authenticity of the Boycott Beyonce movement — only to discover there is no “movement” or group at all.
In fact, the Boycott Beyonce group didn’t create a Facebook page or Twitter page until a day after the news media came snooping around and the story went viral.
According to the Beast, the group’s “Facebook page had collected just 19 likes 24 hours after The New York Daily News posted the first national news story about the event.”
The Beast spoke with Mela Machinko, co-creator of Black Girl Rising, a pro-Beyonce group that includes vocal members of the so-called “BEYHive” fanatics. BGR planned to interrupt the anti-Beyonnce protest in NYC this morning.
Black Girl Rising’s vague responses to the Beast‘s inquiries suggest their efforts were probably just a marketing tool for Beyonce.
When presented with the idea that the original protest was set up by a single troll, Machinko said that regardless, tomorrow’s counter-protest represents, “a great opportunity for a peaceful, joyful affirmation of Beyonce’s message. Even if he doesn’t show up, we’ll just become a Formation celebration.” *
Beyonce’s Formation album is now available for download on her husband’s troubled TIDAL music app.
*(bold emphasis mine)
