At last night’s The Celebration Tour, Madonna discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict in a lengthy address to The O2, expressing her grief for the children who have been killed, as well as alleged hate crimes that have taken place that are related to current events. “We have to remember we are human beings here, we cannot lose our humanity,” she urged.
The US pop star has mentioned the conflict at previous shows: on the greatest hits tour’s opening night (October 14) she told that crowd that “watching what’s happening in Israel and Palestine” breaks her heart. Elsewhere, she urged her audience to make a difference by bringing “light into the world”.
“We can unite in a dark and evil way, or we can unite from a place of light and love. And if we all have that collective consciousness, we can change the world, and we can bring peace – not only to the Middle East, but to the whole world,” she said.
On the third night of her London residency, Madonna expanded on these comments, calling the ongoing conflict “heartbreaking”.
“Nobody wants to see what’s happening,” she 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. 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.”
Paraphrasing a quote by her “great inspiration”, the author James Baldwin, she continued: “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 the colour of their skin is, what their religion is – the children belong to us. And we are responsible for them.”
Madonna also spoke about the killing of 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume in Chicago on October 14. 71-year-old Joseph Czuba has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing the young boy and attacking his mother, and detectives connected to the case have alleged that the attack is a hate crime connected with the current Israel-Hamas conflict.
“Detectives were able to determine that both victims in this brutal attack were targeted by the suspect due to them being Muslim and the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict involving Hamas and the Israelis,” the local sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Speaking to The O2 crowd during her show, Madonna claimed that the alleged attack was “a hate crime because he was Muslim.”
“We have to remember we are human beings here, we cannot lose our humanity,” she said. “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."
What is Happening in Israel is Devastating.. Watching all of these families and especially children being herded, assaulted and murdered in the streets is Heartbreaking.
— Madonna (@Madonna) October 9, 2023
Imagine if this was happening to you??
It’s Un-fathomable.
Conflicts can never be resolved with violence.… pic.twitter.com/KHvMvdL8sg
Madonna’s latest comments also follow a post about the ongoing conflict on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Conflicts can never be resolved with violence,” she wrote on October 9. “Unfortunately Humanity does not understand this Universal truth. Has Never Understood it. We live in a world ravaged by Hate.”
