Manipulated clip fuels claims of demonic worship at Super Bowl

"The crowd booed the demonic hand sign at yesterday's Super Bowl," says a February 12, 2024 post on X, formerly Twitter.

The post includes a short clip of Ice Spice sharing a box with pop star Taylor Swift at the NFL championship game.

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Screenshot of a post on X taken February 15, 2023

A record 123.4 million people tuned in to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 11. The Chiefs won their third Super Bowl title in five seasons.

Swift cheered on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, with Ice Spice and other celebrities. But the booing was added to the clip circulating online.

The NFL posted the original video February 11 (archived here). In it, crowds cheer as Swift chugs a drink on the jumbotron in Allegiant Stadium with Ice Spice in the background

The video does not feature any booing.

Footage from other outlets matches the NFL clip (archived here, here and here).

Ice Spice does make a hand gesture resembling horns -- but it is unclear what it references, despite claims on TikTok and Instagram claiming it is satanic.

The horned gesture is often used in rock music and heavy metal imagery (archived here). The rapper has previously made a similar hand gesture (archived here), possibly as a nod to the Texas Longhorns (archived here).

Other posts point to the rapper's necklace, alleging it depicts a devil-worshipping symbol.

The jewelry is an upside-down cross Opium chain designed by Alex Moss (archived here). Rapper Playboi Carti gifted it to Ice Spice, US media report (archived here).

While the symbol has been associated with Satanism (archived here), it can also represent the cross of Saint Peter in Christianity (archived here).

The claims build on conspiracy theories about satanic rituals among Hollywood elites and disinformation targeting Swift.

Misinformation spread again after a mass shooting at the February 14 parade of NFL champions in Kansas City, Missouri left one person dead and 22 injured, including several children.