Ariana Grande's
star-studded Manchester benefit concert filled with messages of love
and resilience raised
more than $13 million for the victims of the May 22 attack.
About 50,000 fans gathered in an act of defiance and
strength for the sold-out One Love Manchester concert on Sunday. The British
Red Cross said it raised 10 million pounds, which is about $13 million, for the
We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, the Associated
Press reports.
Grande organized the concert in the 13 days after a suicide
bomber killed 22 people and injured many others outside of her concert at Manchester
Arena. The concert continued as planned even after another
terrorist attack struck
the United Kingdom on Saturday evening, when authorities said three men drove a
van into pedestrians on the London Bridge and attacked people with knives at
nearby Borough Market. Grande enlisted a number of celebrities to perform,
including Katy Perry, Liam Gallagher, Chris Martin, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber
and Pharrell Williams, among others. Throughout their performances,
instructions for how to donate to the British Red Cross were displayed across
massive screens on stage.
Grande visited injured fans in the hospital before the concert
and met the mother of Olivia Campbell, one of those killed during the
Manchester attack. She also offered 14,000 free tickets for the benefit concert
for those who attended her May 22 concert.
"I want to thank you so much for coming together and being
strong," Grande told the crowd. "I love you guys so much, and I think
the kind of love and unity you're displaying is the medicine the world needs
right now."
The British Red Cross has also organized fundraising efforts for
victims of all recent U.K. terror attacks — including the most recent one in
London.
"It's not always easy to choose love, right? Especially in
moments like this it can be difficult," Perry said. "But love
conquers fear and love conquers hate. And this love that you choose will give
you strength, and it's our greatest power."
Time.com
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