During the 2016 Super Bowl halftime, Beyonce performed her new song “Formation” with a controversial political message. Beyonce and her backup dancers were dressed in all black and wore berets, presumably dressed as Black Panthers and making a black power salute.

The Black Panthers were a party for self-defense, who practiced self-defense of black communities against the government and who challenged police brutality in the United States. They fought to establish revolutionary black nationalism and socialism through mass organizing and community based programs, such as the Free Breakfast for Children program. Some consider the Black Panthers the most influential black movement organization of the late 1960s, while others consider the organization more criminal than political, which is why Beyonce’s performance is so controversial.

Beyonce and her dancers were also reportedly positioned in the formation of an “X” on the field, which could be interpreted as a reference to human rights activist Malcom X. After the show, some of Beyonce’s backup dancers were seen holding signs that said “Justice 4 Mario Woods,” a black man killed by multiple police officers in San Francisco after refusing to drop his knife.

The music video for “Formation,” released the day before her controversial performance,  shows graffiti on a wall that reads “stop shooting us,” a message against police brutality on the black community. Critics have called Beyonce’s Super Bowl performance her “most radical political statement” in her career.