Anti-Beyonce protest in New York draws 'just three people' at NFL headquarters

Organisers of an anti-Beyonce rally may regret attracting international attention to their event after a turn-out of just three people saw in it branded “the worst-attended protest ever”.

The singer’s politically charged Super Bowl performance celebrated black empowerment and tackled the ever-present issue of racial inequality in the US. For her rendition of "Formation", dancers dressed in tribute to the Black Panthers, a radical black moment originating in the 1960s. But the performance sparked criticism from some conservative corners and a protest against Beyonce was announced shortly after.

A rally listed on EventBrite accused Beyonce of pulling a “race-baiting stunt” which it claimed is a “slap in the face to law enforcement”. It invited people to protest outside the NFl headquarters in New York while dressed in blue. It is unclear who was responsible for organising the event but the page linked out to the Twitter and Facebook accounts of a group called Proud of The Blues,

A description on the page read: “Are you offended as an American that Beyoncé pulled her race-baiting stunt at the Superbowl? Do you agree that it was a slap in the face to law enforcement?

“Do you agree that the Black Panthers was/is a hate group which should not be glorified?

“Come and let's stand together. Let's tell the NFL we don't want hate speech and racism at the Superbowl ever again!”

But it appears that almost no-one identifies with their feelings about the performance after only two men and one woman were spotted demonstrating outside.

One of the three tried to blame the poor showing on timing and weather, telling The Cut: “Some of us are surprised that there are only a couple of us out here today. It is scheduled from 8 to 4pm; it’s a business day. Also, the weather; the rain turned a lot of people away. You know, 6pm would be a better time. Even lunch time — 12pm, 1pm.” However, a number of Beyonce supporters did show up to a much more impressive counter-protest, which continued to grow steadily throughout the day.

They came with signs bearing slogans such as “end police brutality” and “pro-black is not anti-white”, with one holding a banner paying homage to the underlying message of the song: “Get in Formation - just because you don’t want to speak, doesn’t mean I should not speak”.