GettyGeorge Clooney and his wife Amal have announced they will donate $500,000 to the March For Our Lives demonstration to advocate gun control in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
In the wake of this tragic shooting that took the lives of 17 students and teachers, the March For Our Lives event will be held in Washington DC and across the rest of America calling for stricter gun control laws.
GettyAs well as donating the money, the Hollywood couple will also participate in the planned demonstration due to take place on March 24.
As reported by Variety, in a statement the actor said:
Amal and I are so inspired by the courage and eloquence of these young men and women from Stoneman Douglas High School.
Our family will be there on March 24 to stand side by side with this incredible generation of young people from all over the country, and in the name of our children Ella and Alexander, we’re donating $500,000 to help pay for this groundbreaking event. Our children’s lives depend on it.
On March 24 we will take the streets of Washington DC and our communities across the country to #MarchForOurLives. Sign up at https://t.co/2m7ItdfFjV pic.twitter.com/yokyEdj7Jq
— March For Our Lives (@AMarch4OurLives) February 18, 2018
The rally has been organised by five students who survived the Valentine’s Day massacre in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Everytown for Gun Safety.
On the march’s website, their mission statement reads:
Not one more. We cannot allow one more child to be shot at school. We cannot allow one more teacher to make a choice to jump in front of a firing assault rifle to save the lives of students.
We cannot allow one more family to wait for a call or text that never comes. Our schools are unsafe. Our children and teachers are dying. We must make it our top priority to save these lives.
March For Our Lives is created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country who will no longer risk their lives waiting for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings that has become all too familiar.
In the tragic wake of the seventeen lives brutally cut short in Florida, politicians are telling us that now is not the time to talk about guns. March For Our Lives believes the time is now.
The group of students are encouraging people to take to the streets and demand that politicians listen to them now to prevent any further tragedies.
GettyTheir statement continued:
On March 24, the kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington, DC to demand that their lives and safety become a priority. The collective voices of the March For Our Lives movement will be heard.
School safety is not a political issue. There cannot be two sides to doing everything in our power to ensure the lives and futures of children who are at risk of dying when they should be learning, playing, and growing.
The mission and focus of March For Our Lives is to demand that a comprehensive and effective bill be immediately brought before Congress to address these gun issues.
GettyThe statement adds:
No special interest group, no political agenda is more critical than timely passage of legislation to effectively address the gun violence issues that are rampant in our country.
Every kid in this country now goes to school wondering if this day might be their last. We live in fear.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Change is coming. And it starts now, inspired by and led by the kids who are our hope for the future. Their young voices will be heard. Refuse to allow one more needless death.
Lady Gaga, Zendaya and Justin Bieber are fellow celebrities who have also shown support for the movement.
If you want to find out more about March For Our Lives, then you can visit their website.
