Madonna addressed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas at her third Celebration Tour date in London on Tuesday night, asking the audience, “What the fuck is going on in the world?”
According to The Guardian, the Queen of Pop took a moment during the concert to make a lengthy statement about the war, calling it “heartbreaking.”
“Nobody wants to see what’s happening. I turn on social media and I want to vomit,” Madonna said, as The Guardian reports. “I see children being kidnapped, pulled off motorcycles; babies being decapitated, children at peace raves being shot and killed. What the fuck is going on in the world? How can human beings be so cruel to one another? It’s just getting worse. It frightens me.”
Paraphrasing James Baldwin, Madonna said that “the children of the world belong to all of us, each and every one of them. I don’t care where they’re from, what their headdress is, what the color of their skin is, what their religion is – the children belong to us. And we are responsible for them.”
She also touched on the killing of a 6-year-old boy in Illinois, whose landlord has been charged with murder after he allegedly stabbed the child and wounded his mother, according to the Associated Press. A statement to the AP from the Will County Sheriff’s Office said that the victims were “targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis.”
As reported by The Guardian, Madonna said the killing was “a hate crime because he was Muslim,” adding: “We have to remember we are human beings here, we cannot lose our humanity. Our hearts can be broken, but our spirit cannot. No one can break our spirit. And you might look at what’s going on in the world and say, what the fuck? What can I do, I’m just one person, I’m helpless. No, you are not. Each and every one of you have the power and ability to turn light on in the world.”
The pop star previously made a shorter statement about the Israel-Hamas war during the Celebration Tour’s opening night, as well as posting on Instagram on Oct. 7, the day of Hamas’ attack on Israel, writing: “My heart goes out to Israel. To Families and Homes that have been destroyed. To children who are lost. To Innocent Victims who have Been Killed. To All who are Suffering or who will suffer from this conflict. Im Praying For you. I am aware that this is the work of Hamas and there are many innocent people in Palestine who do not support this terrorist organization. This Tragic attack will only cause more suffering for everyone.”
