Ariana sends message of love
Pop star was addressing survivors and families of victims of the bombing of her concert last year
Ariana Grande shared a message of hope with fans on Tuesday as dignitaries, survivors, first responders and the people of Manchester gathered to mark the anniversary of the concert bombing that killed 22 people.
The pop star told survivors and the families of victims that she was “thinking of you all today and every day.”
“I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day,” she wrote in a tweet that included a bee, the civic symbol of Manchester.
Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old Briton of Libyan descent, blew himself up as fans were leaving Grande’s concert at Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. Twenty-two concertgoers were killed, and police say more than 800 people were left “with physical and deep psychological injuries.”
Across Manchester, residents made defiant statements of unity in the face of extremist violence.
Some laid bouquets of flowers in St Ann’s Square. Others left hand-written notes on Japanese maples that have been planted to form a Trees of Hope trail through the city.
Thousands of people paused outside Manchester Cathedral at 2.30pm for a minute of silence that was observed across the country, including in Parliament, where lawmakers paused their debates and fell still.