25 celebrities making a stand by joining anti-racism protests

Celebrities from Madonna to John Boyega have joined protests alongside thousands of people across the United States to stand in solidarity with the black community, following the senseless killing of George Floyd. The 46-year-old died on 25 May in Minneapolis after police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck, even after he pleaded that he couldn't breathe, while three other officers stood by and did nothing. All four of the officers involved were fired, and have now been charged, with Derek charged with second-degree murder. The #BlackLivesMatter protests are not only in response to George's death, but also Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others who have died in recent months due to racism and police brutality. There have also been protests taking place around the world, including London and Berlin, with people banding together to raise awareness and demand justice for the lives lost. Here are just some celebrities who are drawing attention to the Black Lives Matter movement…

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez

Jennifer Lopez and her fiancé Alex Rodriguez joined Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and other protestors in a march in LA on Sunday. Sharing a video of the protest on Instagram, the singer penned: "We must take a stand for what we believe in and fight against the injustices in this world. So we continue to peacefully protest until there is change." Jennifer carried a sign that read "BLM #EnoughIsEnough" on one side and "Black Lives Matter" on the other side. While Alex's sign read: "Let's get loud for Black Lives Matter." Sharing his own post on Instagram, Alex wrote: "Los Angeles, we are proud to join you in peaceful protest tonight. We are proud to walk alongside you, and to share in spreading such an important message."

MORE: 8 celebrities open up about their heartbreaking experience with racism

Kate and Rio Ferdinand

Kate Ferdinand and her husband Rio attended the Black Lives Matter protest at Parliament Square in London on Saturday. They also took Rio's three children Lorenz, 13, Tate, 11, and nine-year-old Tia, along. Sharing photos on their Instagram, the family-of-five wore face masks and carried a sign that read "BLM." Rio also posted the message: "Taking my family to Parliament Square today to be a part of the protest was very emotional. The importance of supporting such a cause can not be underestimated. Educating the next generation is an absolute must. For our children to have been a part of such an important protest is something that I’m sure will have a lasting effect on them."

Madonna

Madonna stunned onlookers on Saturday when she joined a Black Lives Matter protest with some of her children in London – all while on crutches due to a knee injury. The music icon was spotted chanting "no justice, no peace" in the middle of the crowds and was seen speaking to other protesters. 

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Sophie Turner

Pregnant Sophie Turner attended a Black Lives Matter protest alongside husband Joe Jonas on Saturday. The couple joined a demonstration at Northern California's Mammoth Lake. In photos shared to social media, Sophie held a hand-written cardboard sign that read: "White Silence Is Violence." She also posted a photo which saw a group of protestors lying on the ground with their hands behind their back to mimic the position George Floyd was held in minutes before his death. "We stand, we kneel, we lay down with you," Sophie captioned the photo in her Instagram Stories.

Pink

Pink attended a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest with her husband Carey Hart in the Santa Ynez Valley where they reside on Saturday. The singer wore a T-shirt with a fake Rosa Parks quote on it, which read: "Nah. Rosa Parks, 1955." 

Anthony Joshua 

Heavyweight boxing champ Anthony Joshua didn't let crutches stop him from joining a Black Lives Matter protest in his hometown of Watford on Saturday afternoon. Anthony also addressed the crowd of marchers and streamed a number of powerful speeches on his Instagram.

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Alexa Chung 

Model and TV presenter Alexa Chung joined the London protests on Saturday. The 36-year-old shared snaps of a number of banners being held up during the march to her Instagram account, one of which read: "This is not a trend." 

Boris Becker

Tennis icon Boris Becker took to Instagram to share images of himself donning a green face mask as he protested in London on Saturday. 

Suki Waterhouse

Actress, model, and Robert Pattison's girlfriend Suki Waterhouse was also in attendance at the London protests. The 28-year-old also shared footage from the day on her Instagram account, and a banner which read: "Use our white privilege to dismantle the system."

John Boyega

Actor John Boyega attended a Black Lives Matter protest which gathered in London on Wednesday. Rallying the crowd, he spoke passionately to his fellow protesters, calling for peaceful action, and naming a series of British and American black people who have died in racist attacks or been killed by police. During his speech, he said: "I need you guys to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing. And that isn’t the case anymore." John added. “We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence. For Mark Duggan. It is very, very important that we keep control in this moment, and make this as peaceful as possible."

MORE: 13 powerful and essential books on racial injustice to add to your reading list

Cara Delevingne

Model and actress Cara Delevingne joined a protest organised by Black Lives Matter at Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday. Sharing a photo on Instagram, she wrote: "One step forward, but a long way to go. #BlackLivesMatter." Cara also joined friends Machine Gun Kelly and Travis Barker at the Hollywood protests on Tuesday.

Harry Styles

Harry Styles took part in a peaceful protest in LA earlier this week. In a series of Instagram photos shared on fan accounts on Tuesday, the 26-year-old can be seen holding up a Black Lives Matter placard and kneeling to the ground with fellow protesters as a powerful symbol against racism. (Image: Instagram/@srilankansunshine)

Ben Affleck 

Ben Affleck and his girlfriend Ana de Armas joined a recent Black Lives Matter protest in Venice Beach. In photos posted on Twitter, Ben held up two signs while marching down Abbot Kinney beside Ana. One sign supported Black Lives Matter, while the other supported saving a 100-year-old African-American landmark - First Baptist Church of Venice – which is reportedly being turned into a multi-family home. (Image: Twitter/@ArmasUpdates)

Ariana Grande

Pop superstar Ariana Grande joined in protests in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood on Saturday alongside her boyfriend Dalton Gomez and friend Doug Middlebrook. Sharing an image of their march, Ariana wrote on Twitter: "Hours and miles of peaceful protesting yesterday that got little to no coverage. All throughout Beverly Hills and West Hollywood we chanted, people beeped and cheered along. We were passionate, we were loud, we were loving. Cover this too please. #BLACKLIVESMATTER."

Jamie Foxx

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx attended a Minneapolis press conference on Friday where he spoke to the crowd about George's death. Then, on Monday, he flew to San Francisco where he joined protesters taking part in a 'kneel-in' demonstration, urging them to be active in social change even after the protests stop. He also called upon his celebrity friends to join him in the fight for equality. "What I want to say to my Hollywood friends is you got to get out here. You can’t tweet. You can’t text…You have to understand, people are hurting," he said.

Cole Sprouse 

Riverdale actor Cole Sprouse revealed he was arrested on Sunday while participating in a "peaceful" protest in Santa Monica. In a lengthy message on Instagram, he wrote: "There’s a clear need to speak about the circumstances: Black Lives Matter. Peace, riots, looting, are an absolutely legitimate form of protest." He added: "I was detained when standing in solidarity, as were many of the final vanguard within Santa Monica. We were given the option to leave, and were informed that if we did not retreat, we would be arrested."

Michael B. Jordan

Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan was pictured joining in protests in LA on Saturday

MORE: The stars sharing powerful messages to support the Black Lives Matter movement

Halsey

Singer Halsey shared a number of updates of her experience during protests in LA, where she said police "fired rubber bullets" at protesters. Sharing a photo on Twitter, she also wrote: "I don't know how to articulate the horrors of today. (National Guard) + officers firing rounds into kneeling crowds. We don't have enough medics on the ground on our side. I was treating injuries I am not qualified to. So much blood spilled. If you have med training pls go + standby outskirts."

Nick Cannon

Mariah Carey's ex-husband Nick Cannon joined protesters in Minneapolis and shared several images on Instagram. "Justice for Floyd," one caption read. Another stated, "Stop Killing Us!"

Paris Jackson

Paris Jackson also joined protests in LA over the weekend. "Today started out so beautifully, seeing people come together with peace and harmony in their hearts. It broke my heart to see it all go up in flames," she wrote on Instagram, adding: "Violence is not the answer. How do we expect to bring our world up to a happier and higher and healthier way of living if we’re stooping as low as those that committed the crimes we’re protesting? Peaceful protest only!"

John Cusack 

American star John Cusack attended a Chicago protest on Saturday, sharing a video of police coming at him "with batons" while he was on his bicycle. "Cops didn’t like me filming the burning car so they came at me with batons.  Hitting my bike. Ahhm here’s the audio," he shared on Twitter.

MORE: Celebrity parents educating their children about anti-racism

Tinashe

Singer Tinashe joined protests in Downtown Los Angeles. Sharing a photo of herself holding up a Black Lives Matter sign, she wrote on Instagram: "Show up."

Emily Ratajkowski

Model and actress Emily Ratajkowski joined protests in LA on Saturday. She said that the police were "militarized and civilians had no weapons". She added: "These are not violent protests but they become violent when an actual Army is deployed."

Tessa Thompson

Creed actress Tessa Thompson shared a video on Twitter of protestors kneeling in the streets in Los Angeles. Sharing her experience of the #BlackLivesMatter protests, she penned: "I can say that the #LosAngelesProtest was entirely peaceful until the @LAPDHQ arrived and escalated it @MayorOfLA are you seeing this? Also, where was the robust media coverage then?"

J. Cole

American rapper J. Cole was photographed attending protests in his hometown of North Carolina over the weekend.

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