“They just lost a lifelong Coldplay fan.” Fans are questioning whether the band's comments regarding Charlie Kirk were appropriate, with some calling out the band for mentioning someone who held hard-right views on immigration, gun control and the transgender community.
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Coldplay stopped their concert at London’s Wembley Stadium to ask fans to “send love” to Charlie Kirk’s family – and some fans aren’t best pleased about it.
The moment took place on Friday (12 September), when frontman Chris Martin halted the show before their performance of the song ‘Fix You’ to encourage fans to raise their hands and “send love anywhere you wanna send it in the world.”
“There are so many places that might need it today,” said Martin. “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.”
Check out the moment below:
While many applauded this call for unity, many did not see this moment in a positive light, with some calling out the band.
The discussion also spread to Reddit, where fans questioned whether the tribute was appropriate. One user wrote: “They just lost a lifelong Coldplay fan,” while another simply wrote: “It’s okay Coldplay fans are usually disappointed.”
Neither Coldplay nor Martin have publicly responded to the backlash.
It’s worth noting that Kirk was apparently not a fan of Coldplay, which he revealed in a video where he was discussing the viral Coldplay kiss cam footage from July.
In Kirk’s clip about the viral episode, he said: “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.”
The right-wing activist and staunch Donald Trump supporter was fatally shot at Utah Valley University campus last Wednesday. Kirk was 31 years old.
A 22-year-old Utah native identified as Tyler Robinson has since been arrested.
While many on both sides of the aisle have condemned the act of political violence, Kirk’s death has divided opinions online, showing to what extent the US feels irrevocably divided. Many have called attention to Kirk’s divisive public stances, which he advocated through his student organization Turning Point USA. His political stances included hard-right views on immigration, gun control and the transgender community.
In the wake of his death, some MAGA supporters have blamed the satirical comedy show South Park for Kirk’s assassination. The episode in which Kirk was parodied has been removed from cable re-runs.
