Lady Gaga Urges Fans To Protest Immigration Law At Arizona Show

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‘I will hold you, and we will hold each other, and we will protest this state,’ Gaga tells concertgoers on Saturday (July 31).
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Lady Gaga performs in concert (file)

Photo: Getty Images

Lady Gaga has often used her mega-fame to draw attention to hot-button issues such as gay rights and now Mother Monster is using her headline-grabbing powers to spotlight the ongoing immigration debate.

Artists such as Cypress Hill, Shakira and Rage Against the Machine have blasted Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 bill, which critics say hinges on racial profiling and discrimination to curb the flow of illegal immigrants into the state. According to The Arizona Republic, the pop supernova voiced her concerns about the law during her show on Saturday night (July 31).

“We have to be active. We have to actively protest,” Gaga told the crowd of over 14,000. “I will not cancel my show. I will hold you, and we will hold each other, and we will protest this state,” said Gaga, who had the slogan “Stop SB 1070″ scrawled on her forearm.

Several stars have canceled shows in Arizona in protest of SB 1070, however, Gaga said she decided to use her tour date to address the controversy and rally fans over the issue.
“I got a call from some big rappers and big rockers. They said, ‘We’d like you to boycott Arizona because of SB 1070,’” Gaga said. The singer side-stepped the boycott strategy: “I told them, ‘Do you really think that us … pop stars are going to shut down the state?’”

Gaga also described a recent encounter with an Arizona boy who was personally affected by the law. “I met a boy today who is suffering. . . . He told me his house was raided because of a parking ticket or something,” Gaga recounted. “They took his brother, and now he is in Mexico … It’s really (unfair), and it’s really disgusting. I think it’s important that people understand that it’s a state of emergency for this place and this state,” said Gaga, before dedicating her song “You and I” to the boy.

The singer also addressed the issue yesterday on her Twitter page: “Tonight we will continue to actively protest social and political injustices in Arizona,” Gaga tweeted. “We will sing, we will stand up, + we will be heard.”

What do you think of Lady Gaga’s stance on SB 1070? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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