While performing at London’s Wembley Stadium last night, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin gave a controversial shoutout to the family of American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Coldplay, comprising Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion, brought their Music of the Spheres show back to the capital on Friday, with thousands attending to hear their hits and marvel at their now world-famous light spectacle.
During the show, Martin, 48, addresses the crowd on multiple occasions, but it was his speech before the band’s 2005 tune Fix You that caught people’s attention afterwards online.
In a clip shared on social media, Martin urged fans to put their arms in the air, telling them: ‘For the final time for a few years in London, let’s raise our hands like this, and send love anywhere you wanna send it in the world.
‘There are so many places that might need it today.’
He proceeded to name-check Kirk, 31, who died earlier this week in what authorities called a political assassination.
‘So, here it comes from London. You can send this to your brother or your sister, you can send it to the families of people who have been going through terrible stuff, 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, in Ukraine and Russia.’
As people reacted to Martin’s words, several Coldplay fans expressed feeling ‘disappointed’ due to the divisive nature of Kirk’s beliefs.
X user @rossmacronald declared that they would ‘walk out’ if Martin encouraged such a tribute at a concert they attended, while @aspace0dyssey called the speech ‘insane’.
‘I booed that was insane. The fact that’s the only name he mentioned as well’, they tweeted.
Kirk himself was by no means a Coldplay fan—quite the opposite.
In a resurfaced video filmed after the kiss cam debacle, he told his followers: ‘I would rather be caught dead than be at a Coldplay concert.
‘I would rather go to a WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) game than go to a Coldplay concert. I couldn’t think of something more boring and banal and a waste of time.’
Kirk’s death has sparked mass debate online after he was shot at a Utah Valley University show on Wednesday, midway through answering a question on gun violence in the United States.
The father of two was a known ally of Republican President Donald Trump and co-founder and chief executive of the right-wing youth organisation Turning Point USA.
In a video tribute after the fatal shooting, Trump said: ‘I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk.
‘He inspired millions, and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror.’
‘This is a dark moment for America,’ he added, declaring that he would take action against ‘political violence’.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘My thoughts this evening are with the loved ones of Charlie Kirk.
‘It is heartbreaking that a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband.
‘We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear—there can be no justification for political violence.’
In recent days, hundreds have attended vigils for Kirk (including in London), who acquired a following with his videos of confrontations between himself and liberal students. They often probed him on topics such as abortion, gun rights, women’s rights, and protections for trans people.
His widow also spoke out, promising him: ‘I will never let your legacy die, baby.’
Erika Kirk further addressed the ‘evildoers,’ adding: ‘You have no idea of the fire that you have ignited within this wife; the cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.
‘If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea, you have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country and this world, you have no idea.’
After a high-profile search, Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested as a suspect in the shooting.
It has been claimed that his own father turned him in.
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Reps for Chris Martin and Coldplay have been contacted for comment.
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