Beyonce's "Formation" World Tour in Tampa, Florida was interrupted by pro-police activist group called Blue Lives Matter. The protest followed the planned boycott by police officers in Florida.
According to Bizpac Review, the protesters flew a banner reading "#bluelivesmatter" above the Raymond James stadium where the "Formation" show was held. Police groups in Florida reportedly threatened a boycott in the state, specifically, in Tampa and Miami following the musician's controversial performance at the NFL Super Bowl 50 halftime show in February.
The Blue Lives Matter pro-police group was formed in response to the Black Lives Matter international activist movement. The NYC based non-profit organization began as a nationwide movement to support police officers and their families. Part of its mission is to raise awareness as well as financial aid for police needs as well as encourage law enforcement members to help one another.
On the other hand, the Black Lives Matter movement saw the formation of the Blue Lives Matter group as a suppression of theirs. Black Lives Matter's mission is to put an end to police brutality and killings of people from the African-American community. It began as a simple hashtag on social media but grew to become a strong undertaking despite not having a formal structure.
According to ABC Action News, police officers reportedly planned to boycott Beyonce's show in Tampa earlier this year by refusing to sign up for the required security work. However, they showed up to do their duties in the end.
It was reported by Mic that viewers criticized Beyonce's use of monochromatic black panther costumes and black berets to politicize the show. Many angry audience members accused the 34-year old singer-songwriter of being "anti-American" as well as "anti-police".
Beyonce released her much-awaited track "Formation" along with its music video on February 2016. She subsequently announced The Formation World Tour, which was scheduled to perform at various venues in North America as well as Europe.
