Kelly Clarkson has blasted ‘selfish’ looters in Los Angeles who she claims are ‘taking advantage’ of the Black Lives Matter protests.
The singer, 38, said she supported the protests but said they should be peaceful, and that looters ‘don’t care about any lives but their own’.
The American Idol star said in a series of tweets how the message of the protests is getting overshadowed by violence.
Forthright: Kelly Clarkson, 38, has criticised looters for overshadowing the message of the Black Lives Matter protest
Clarkson shared a viral video of a black woman explaining her frustrations to a group of soldiers, saying it was what people need to hear at the moment.
She said: ‘There is so much chaos and confusion happening right now so please don’t just pay attention to the selfish idiots that are looting and tearing us apart even more, and see the hope, and the empathy, and hear the conversation from true leadership like all the people in this video.’
The Because of You hitmaker then went on to explain her situation in Los Angeles, saying: ‘I live & am currently n LA with sirens going off, police everywhere, living under constant curfews, places being looted & broken into & having 2 explain this to my children so I understand BUT those looters that r selfish &taking advantage don’t care about any lives but their own.’
Critical: The American Idol star said looters do not care about any lives but their own as she threw her support behind the Black Lives Matter protests
Clarifying her opinion in a later tweet, the TV personality threw her support behind the Black Lives Matter protests, but said their message is being drowned out by violence.
It comes after the star expressed her outrage at an incident captured on camera in Kansas City where police arrested a young black man as he yelled at them while peacefully protesting along with others.
‘Just curious…. where are all the “free speechers” on this? You know, the ones that constantly defend the first amendment but only use this defense when it serves their purpose? I’ll wait….’ Clarkson wrote as she retweeted the clip.
Shockong: Earlier, Kelly expressed outrage at an incident captured on camera in Kansas City where police arrested a black man as he yelled at them while peacefully protesting along with others
At the weekend, the chat show host and The Voice coach spoke out about the events of the past week following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
Clarkson, who shares daughter River Rose and son Remington with husband Brandon Blackstock, tweeted on Saturday: ‘For cryin out loud this is the year 2020! Can we please learn from our past and finally progress as a nation? Is it too much to ask each and every one of us to just be kind, have empathy, be loving & respectful?? If my 4 & 5 yr old can learn this, so can grown a** men & women.’
She went on: ‘I was just sitting here explaining what the word “equality” means 2 my 5 yr old because she caught me watching the news & she didn’t understand why people were angry/crying. All she sees is someone in pain & she wants 2 help & hug them. Wouldn’t it be nice if adults were as wise.’
Time to change: The singer and TV personality, 38, had previously tweeted at the weekend: ‘For cryin out loud this is the year 2020! Can we please learn from our past and finally progress as a nation?’
Speaking out: Clarkson said if her two young children River Rose, five, and Remington, four, could learn to ‘be kind, have empathy, be loving & respectful,’ grown-ups could too
Cities across the US face curfews again as protests continue over the killing of George Floyd by white police officers.
Floyd died after being pinned to the ground with one officer kneeling on his neck following his arrest relating to an allegedly counterfeit 20-dollar bill.
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin continued to kneel on him for almost nine minutes as he pleaded, ‘I can’t breathe’. An autopsy found Floyd died from asphyxiation.
The incident was captured on cell phone video and quickly went viral.
Chauvin, who was fired from the Minneapolis Police Department, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Three other cops involved in the incident have not been charged.
Unrest: Cities across the US face curfews again Tuesday night as BLM protests continue over the killing of George Floyd by white police officers in Minneapolis (pictured, rally in Houston)
Tragic: On Monday, Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd visited a makeshift memorial honoring his brother at the place where he died with a white police officer’s knee on his neck
Meanwhile, John Legend, Lizzo and Taraji P. Henson are among celebrities who have signed a letter calling for a halt to increases to police budgets.
The ‘open demand’ letter, also signed by Common, the Weeknd, Natalie Portman, Jane Fonda, America Ferrera, Brie Larson, ACLU executive director Anthony Romero, and more, seeks to have funds spent instead on health care, education, and programs for black communities, according to Variety.
It is claimed in the letter that in 2017, $194 billion was spent on the police by local government, despite ‘continued profiling, harassment, terror and killing of Black communities.’
It is being supported by the organization Movement 4 Black Lives, which has launched ‘five days of action’ in a bid to fight systemic racism – including Blackout Tuesday – with Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors encouraging other music industry figures to get involved.