As the killing of Charlie Kirk sparks mass partisan fallout, it seems Chris Martin is trying to keep the peace with a message of love.
During the band’s final stop on their Music of the Spheres World Tour on Friday in London, the Coldplay frontman encouraged the audience to send love “to Charlie Kirk’s family” following the conservative influencer’s death this week.
“Let’s raise our hands like this and send love anywhere you wanna send it in the world, and there are so many places that might need it today,” he said onstage at Wembley Stadium. “So, here it comes from London. You can send this to your brother or sister, you can send it to the families of people who have been going through terrible stuff.”
Martin continued, “You can send it to Charlie Kirk’s family, you can send it to anybody’s family. You can send it to people you disagree with, but you send them love anyway. You can send it to peaceful people in the Middle East and Ukraine and Russia and Azerbaijan and Sudan and London, anywhere you think might need love from London. Here it comes.”
Kirk, a conservative influencer and the co-founder of Turning Point USA, died at age 31 after he was shot in the neck from a nearby building during an outdoor speech on Wednesday at Utah Valley University. On Thursday, 22-year old Utah local Tyler Robinson was arrested for the shooting.
While politicians and public figures on both sides of the aisle have condemned the act of political violence, many have called attention to Kirk’s divisive public stances, which he advocated through his student organization Turning Point USA.
President Donald Trump has since shared a statement, blaming the shooting on the “radical left,” adding: “This type of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials and everyone else who brings order to our country,” added Trump.
