U2 frontman and activist Bono offered support to refugees fleeing their homes by changing the chorus of a U2 song mid-concert to help raise awareness of their plight.
Twelve refugees drowned on Wednesday, when two boats sank in the Aegean sea and images of the lifeless body of a three-year-old boy washed ashore in Bodrum, in southwest Turkey, sparked a wave of emotion across Europe and the world.
Bono, 55, changed the chorus in memory of the deceased Syrian boy.
The band kicked off the European leg of their world tour this week, and Bono, who addressed Turin’s packed Pala Alpitour in Italy, said he did not have the answers to the refugee crisis but added that “we must work together to find the solution”, reported the Daily Mirror.
Bono made reference to the shocking incident by changing the lyrics in Pride (In the Name of Love) to: “One boy washed up on an empty beach.”
The image of Aylan Kurdi lying face down in the sand made headlines around the world, becoming a focal point in the deepening refugee crisis. In a set that included more than two dozen of the band’s songs, and at one point featured a screen showing footage of refugees, Bono said, “There is a lot of heartache in the world, but there is so much joy in here this evening. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s incredible. Watching the news, ordinary people - all of us - seem capable of such great evil and such great love. I don’t know the answer to the refugee crisis in Europe and Africa but I know we must work together to find an answer to the refugee crisis in Europe and Africa.”
Bono asked the crowd, “What do you want? A Europe with its heart and borders closed to mercy? Or a Europe with its heart open?”
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