Current Affairs

Madonna shows up on crutches to chant ‘No justice, no peace’ at Black Lives Matter protest

Madonna chants 'No justice, no peace' at Black Lives Matter protest

Madonna at London’s Black Lives Matter protest, June 6. (Twitter)

Madonna showed up to a Black Lives Matter march on crutches to protest racism, chanting “No justice, no peace” in central London.

The pop star and longtime LGBT+ ally, on crutches because of a recent knee injury, was reportedly at the June 6 Black Lives Matter march without security.

It was the first of two huge rallies in London this weekend that saw thousands take to the streets protesting against racism and police brutality.

The deaths of Black men at the hands of white police officers in the US, including George Floyd on May 25 and Black trans man Tony McDade on May 27, have seen protests in all 50 US states and dozens of countries around the world.

Floyd died after a police officer pinned him down by the neck using his knee until he went limp. McDade was shot and killed by officers while being chased in connection with a fatal stabbing.

Madonna was apparently happy to receive hugs from other Black Lives Matter protestors, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, telling people: “I have the antibodies, don’t worry about it.”

As many have pointed out, her actions came on the same day that another famous white woman, JK Rowling, caused a stir – but for entirely different reasons.

“Madonna marched on the streets of London without security today fighting for equality and JK Rowling tweeted hate from the comfort of her mansion,” one person tweeted.

“I don’t wanna tell you who to stan here but…”

Other videos taken by fellow protestors show the Queen of Pop smiling and shouting “No peace!” in a call-and-response with a person on a megaphone who was chanting “No justice!”.

https://twitter.com/danshanice/status/1269349796382420997?s=20

Whilst Tory home secretary Priti Patel warned people not to join the anti-racism protests – current government guidance is to avoid gatherings of more than six people – many pointed out that in the past few weeks, hundreds of people have been pictured going to the beach and dancing in conga lines for VE day.

https://twitter.com/gdouglas__/status/1268487269448585216?s=20

Madonna is not a newcomer to activism – when the AIDS epidemic reached its height in the 1980s, people who were HIV-positive faced an unbearable social stigma.

As a result, many celebrities kept their distance, choosing to ignore the illness that was wiping out the gay community – but not Madonna.

In 1989, she attended a charity dance marathon in Los Angeles to benefit people who were HIV-positive. The same year, she released the album Like a Prayer, which included a now-famous leaflet called ‘The Facts about AIDS’.

The leaflet read: “People with AIDS – regardless of their sexual orientation – deserve compassion and support, not violence and bigotry.”

At the height of the AIDS epidemic, that statement was both powerful and deeply radical.

 

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