Emma González, who survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when 17 people were killed by a former student in February 2018, has slammed Madonna and her new "God Control" music video against gun violence.
In a series of tweets, the young woman has pointed out that graphic shots of party-goers being gunned down at a nightclub are eerily reminiscent of the 2016 shooting in the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando that left 49 people dead - and that the eight-minute video is "triggering" for actual survivors of gun violence.
She should have sent out a message warning what her new video contained, ESPECIALLY to the Pulse Victims, ESPECIALLY as it was released Just After the Anniversary on June 12th.
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) 29 июня 2019 г.
This is NOT the correct way to talk about gun violence, unlike how many fans have been exclaiming — people who have been working in the GVP community know how to talk about gun violence, not most celebrities. #GodControl
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) 29 июня 2019 г.
Even though Madonna's video did contain a viewer discretion warning, González, who has emerged as one of the most prominent gun control advocates since the Parkland shooting, has asked anyone who shares pictures or short clips from the video to tag it as "Triggering for f*cks [sic] sake".
González was not the only mass shooting survivor to have been disturbed by the explicity violent and bloody scenes in the video: Patience Carter, who survived the Pulse club massacre, told TMZ that it was "really hard to watch".
"For someone like me, who actually saw these images, who actually lived these images, to see them again dramatised the views (and) dramatised for YouTube, I feel like it was really insensitive", she said.
I couldn’t even watch after the first 45 secs @Madonna There are so many creative avenues that could’ve been taken to bring awareness to gun control. The Victims of these mass shootings should always be taken into consideration. I applaud the attempt, but I am truly disturbed. https://t.co/n8VO2KfpNR
— Patience N Carter (@Patience326_) 26 июня 2019 г.
In the video, the pop icon makes an unequivocal call for gun control, both in the song's lyrics and in a written statement that emerges at the end of the clip, reading, "Every year over 36,000 Americans are killed in acts of gun violence and approximately 100,000 more are shot and injured. No one is safe. Gun control. Now".
This is your wake up call. Gun violence disproportionately affects children, teenagers and the marginalized in our communities. Honor the victims and demand GUN CONTROL. NOW. Volunteer, stand up, donate, reach out.
— Madonna (@Madonna) 26 июня 2019 г.
#WakeUp https://t.co/AfPG2o9zHD
— Madonna (@Madonna) 26 июня 2019 г.
On 12 June 2016, 49 people were killed and 58 others were wounded as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old security guard, opened fire inside the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Shortly after the shooting began, Mateen called 911 and pledged allegiance to Daesh* leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, while describing himself as "Islamic Soldier". After a three-hour standoff, he was shot dead by police officers.
*Daesh, also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS/Islamic State, is a terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
