The Weeknd demands justice for those shot by police in stirring VMAs speech

The Weeknd used his MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech to shed light on current unrest in America.

While picking up the coveted video of the year award for Blinding Lights, the singer repeated an earlier demand for “justice” for two African Americans shot by police.

Jacob Blake has been paralysed from the waist down after being shot by officers in Wisconsin this month while Breonna Taylor was killed in Kentucky in March.

Both cases have fuelled protests against police brutality in the States.

The Weeknd struck a sombre tone as he said he did not feel like celebrating his win after the killings.

“It’s really hard for me to celebrate right now and enjoy this moment, so, I’m just going to say, justice for Jacob Blake and justice for Breonna Taylor,” he said.

The singer arrived on the red carpet sporting what appeared to be a bloodied nose and bruising around his face.

His striking look was created by a team of make-up artists to make reference to his Blinding Lights music video, where he is beaten by bouncers, drives drunk and finds himself covered in blood.

“I don’t want to ever promote drunk driving, but that’s what the dark undertone is,” he previously told Esquire .

Sunday night’s socially distanced ceremony was fulled by comments on political and social unrest erupting in America.

The final words of the evening were “black lives matter”.

While the ceremony opened with a tribute to actor Chadwick Boseman, following the Black Panther star’s death at the age of 43.

The announcement on Friday sent shockwaves through Hollywood as it was revealed the Marvel actor had been hiding his Stage 3 colon cancer fight for four years.

Host for the evening Keke Palmer began her monologue” “We dedicate tonight’s show to a man whose spirit touched so many.

“He is a true hero, not just on screen but in everything he did. His impact lives forever.”

Palmer then referenced a tumultuous year, touching on the coronavirus pandemic as well the social unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd in May.

“We can never tolerate police brutality,” Palmer said from a set near the Empire State Building.
“It’s our time to be the change we want to see. We need to come together, and music has that power.”

The Weeknd was then the first performer of the night, belting out hit Blinding Lights over 1,000ft above Manhattan on the Edge building at Hudson Docks

The VMAs took place across new New York City’s five boroughs, with little to no audience and performances outside due to the coronavirus pandemic.

K-Pop band BTS performed remotely from appearing remotely from Seoul, South Korea.

Lady Gaga was the big winner of the night taking home statuettes for best artist, song and collaboration of the year, as well as the first ever MTV Tricon Award, in recognition of her achievements in music, fashion and acting.

“I want to share this award with everybody at home tonight. Everybody that is their own form of a Tricon,” she said, before reflecting on a tumultuous year.

“This has not been an easy year for a lot of people, but what I see in the world is a massive triumph of courage,” Gaga, who wore a mask throughout the night – even during her performance, shared.