John Oliver has paid tribute to the victims of the Orlando shooting and lamented the familiarity of the pain which the world is feeling.
Fifty people were killed and 53 were injured after a gunman, apparently inspired by Isis, stormed LGBT nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida in the early hours of Sunday morning. This is the biggest mass shooting in US history.
The comedian, who hosts US show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, condemned the violence committed and urged viewers to focus on the things which make America great.
“The worst thing is this pain is so familiar,” Oliver said in a solem opening address. “In Paris last November, terrorists seemed to target places symbolising everything that is wonderful about France - culture, music, restaurants.”
He described the club attacked by the gunman as symbolic of America's greatness. "I will happily embrace a Latin night at a gay club at the theme park capital of the world as the ultimate symbol about what is truly wonderful about America,” he said.
“I’m sure there will be much more to say about Orlando going forward," he added. "But for right now, on a day when some dips*** terrorist wants us to focus on one man’s act of brutality and hatred, it might be worth seeing this video, which was posted to Twitter today.”
The video showed hundreds of people queuing up outside the OneBlood bank in Orlando in order to donate blood to help the victims of the mass tragedy.
“It kind of reminds you that that terrorist dips*** is vastly outnumbered," said Oliver.
