Madonna has addressed the tragic death of children during the Israel-Hamas war while on stage for her Celebrations tour.
At the O2 Arena in London, UK, the 65-year-old songstress lamented the deaths of children in the conflict as well as alleged hate crimes being committed elsewhere.
She said the war was “heartbreaking” and her voice began to crack with emotion as she addressed the crowd.
“Nobody wants to see what’s happening,” Madonna said. “I turn on social media and I want to vomit.
“I see children being kidnapped, pulled off motorcycles; babies being decapitated, children at peace raves being shot and killed.
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“What the f**k is going on in the world? How can human beings be so cruel to one another? It’s just getting worse. It frightens me.”
She went on to paraphrase the American author James Baldwin, whom she calls a “a great inspiration to me all my life”.
“The children of the world belong to all of us, each and every one of them,” she continued.
“I don’t care where they’re from, what their headdress is, what the colour of their skin is, what their religion is – the children belong to us. And we are responsible for them.”
Her speech went on to address the killing of six-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume in Chicago; landlord Joseph Czuba, 71, has been charged with the murder after allegedly stabbing the young boy and also attacking his mother.
Madonna said Wadea’s murder was “a hate crime, because he was Muslim.
“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 f**k? 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. We are all candles; we can bring light to the world.
“If we turn enough light on, if we light enough candles, the collective consciousness of generosity and unity will change. No politicians, no laws, no sanctions, no land given or taken. We, with our consciousness, can change the f**king world.”
Madonna went on to post her speech on her Instagram page in view of her 19.2 million followers, and the video has already received almost 300K likes.