When news came to light about the massacre that took the lives of at least 50 people at an LGBT club in Orlando in the early hours of Sunday morning, a shadow of sorrow was cast across the globe.
As Americans, celebrities and citizens from every country struggled to comprehend the senseless act of violence, the world pledged their allegiance with the victims and families.
The most powerful messages of all were the ones that championed love and refused to let this cowardly act divide us.
Here are 11 of the best responses to the Orlando shooting that prove that love will always triumph over hate.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Hamilton star read a powerful sonnet in his Tony Award acceptance speech that was part love letter to his wife and part emotional tribute to the victims of the shooting, driving home the point that “love is love, is love, is love, is love…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GlV2u_kiUk
Sean Astin,
The actor who played Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings turned to some of his own immortal lines, quoting his speech from the The Two Towers in a Facebook post. In it, he says, “There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
James Corden
The Late Late Show host paid tribute to the victims of the Orlando shooting ahead of his role as presenter at the Tony Awards, assuring people that “hate will never win” and that the gay community is “not alone right now – your tragedy is our tragedy.”
JK Rowling,
Like the rest of the world, the author could not stop sobbing when she learned of the tragedy. She tweeted after discovering a 22-year-old who worked on the Harry Potter ride at Orlando had been killed.
Luis Vielma worked on the Harry Potter ride at Universal. He was 22 years old. I can’t stop crying. #Orlando pic.twitter.com/Nz2ZCWxNsS
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 13, 2016
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv’s City Hall was lit up with rainbow colours of the LGBT flag on Sunday night in solidarity.
In solidarity with #Orlando #TelAviv City Hall is lit up with the #USA flag and the flag of the #LGBTQ community pic.twitter.com/ULKR0BeR7N — Mayor of Tel Aviv (@MayorOfTelAviv) June 12, 2016
President Obama
Obama responded to the tragedy by saying that Americans were united in grief and resolved to defend its people.
Jean Wyllys
The openly gay Brazilian politician took to Facebook to condemn homophobia, saying, “It could be any of us! Do you know any gay man, any lesbian, anyone who is bisexual? A friend, a workmate, a neighbor, a cousin? Because they could be dead if they had been in Orlando, having fun in a club without doing anybody any harm”.
Hassan Shibly
Muslim leader Hassan Shibly called for “Overwhelming love and support and unity.” The executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic relations added, “And I think that is a message of defeat for our enemies and for the terrorists, that we will not allow enemies to turn us against each other.”
Rogers Centre
Ahead of the Blue Jays game against the Baltimore Orioles, 40,000 spectators observed a moment of silence in tribute to the victims of the Orlando shooting.
The Pope
The Vatican released a statement saying that the massacre “caused in Pope Francis, and in all of us, the deepest feelings of horror and condemnation, of pain and turmoil before this new manifestation of homicidal folly and senseless hatred.”
John Oliver
The British host addressed Orlando at the start of Last Week Tonight, confessing that “this just hurts” before reminding us that “that terrorist dipshit is vastly outnumbered.”
[ad_bb1]