After an explosion during an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester on Monday killed 22 people and injured over 50, Ariana Grande has released a statement about the incident, now deemed a terrorist attack. Other than a brief tweet the night of the tragedy, this is the first time Grande has publicly addressed the bombing, and her words are absolutely gut-wrenching.
"My heart, prayers and deepest condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones," the statement begins. "There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better."
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The note goes on to say that Grande has been thinking of her fans nonstop over the past week, and the strength and kindness they've shown in the aftermath of such a horrible event.
"We will never be able to understand why events like this take place because it is not in our nature, which is why we shouldn't recoil," she continues. "We will not quit or operate in fear. We won't let this divide us. We won't let hate win."
In support of the victims, Grande announced in the post that she'll be returning to Manchester to give a benefit concert, and the spend time with the fans and families who were were affected by the incident.
"From the day we started putting the Dangerous Woman Tour together, I said that this show, more than anything else, was intended to be a safe space for my fans," she says. "A place for them to escape, to celebrate, to heal, to feel safe and be themselves."
Grande promises that she will continue with music to honor everyone who endured this tragedy, because that's what brings us together.
"[The victims] will be on my mind and in my heart everyday," she concludes. "And I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life."