Beyoncé and Jay-Z paid tribute to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire during the first of their two London Stadium shows – and also wore green hearts in support of the Justice 4 Grenfell campaign.
14 June marked one year since the disaster in west London where 72 people were killed, and hundreds more left without a home and their possessions destroyed.
Ahead of a rendition of “Forever Young” as part of their On The Run II show on 15 June, Beyoncé told the crowd: “I’d like to dedicate this song to the friends and families of the victims of Grenfell.”
Following the performance, Justice 4 Grenfell tweeted: “We are grateful that Jay Z and Beyonce dedicated their last song to Grenfell tonight, they said their thoughts were with the families & survivors. We are glad they wore the green heart badges that we sent over! Thank you.”
Thousands of people took part in a silent march of remembrance on 14 June to mark one year since the fire. Police estimated that 5,000 people took part.
Figures from the worlds of entertainment, sport and politics aired tributes – with a vigil taking place overnight. Adele and Stormzy were among those to join survivors and bereaved family members at a memorial congregation.
Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, arrived to take part in the procession wearing a green scarf around his neck as a sign of solidarity.
He wrote a message on the tower’s perimeter fence: “Love and sympathy to all at Grenfell. Together we mourn. Together we overcome," later telling reporters the fire represented “everything that is unequal and wrong about this country”.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z will take to the stage at London Stadium for a second OTR II show this evening (16 June).
