Several politically active Hollywood stars took to social media on Friday to praise and applaud the students who participated in the National School Walkout.
Actress Julianne Moore wrote on Instagram, “So proud of the young people participating in the #nationalschoolwalkout today. They are using their voices and will USE THEIR VOTES.”
Moore, of course, penned a letter “excusing” students from school so they could take to the streets and rally against gun violence and for gun control.
“When I watch these young people protest, I realize they are … raising their voices so that we elevate all lives, and honor each and every one of us,” Moore wrote, as did actor Robert De Niro in a similar letter.
Actress Laura Dern posted a message to Instagram praising the Nation School Walkout and the pursuit of gun control policy.
“Reminder that these kids – that all of us – will keep walking out till policy is changed,” the Star Wars: The Last Jedi star wrote.
Friday’s National School Walkout saw students from schools across the country protest gun violence. The mass-protest was the brainchild of Lane Murdock, a high school sophomore in Connecticut.
“It is not conservative or liberal,” Murdock said in an interview on NPR. “It is just about making sure our children don’t get harmed in school and we don’t live in a community and in a country that has institutionalized fear.”
Indeed, a bevy of anti-gun celebrities chimed in offering support to the student protesters.
Today is a #NationalSchoolWalkout & I applaud every student who is taking a stance & saying enough is enough. Your generation is the change our country so desperately needs right now. Keep fighting. We have your backs & will not let you be silenced. It’s time to end the madness. https://t.co/dMyRaBMQt8
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) April 20, 2018
The student walk out today represents things much bigger than the punitive damages their superiors threaten them with. It represents our right to have a government of the people and for the people and not bought and paid for by lobbyists! It is quintessential civil disobedience.
— Ron Perlman (@perlmutations) April 20, 2018
THREAD: Students at Warwick High School in Warwick, NY, had planned to participate in the National School Walkout on the 19th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine Hight School in Colorado. The purpose of the walkout is to bolster the discussion about gun-control measures.
— James Cromwell 🐷 (@jamesocromwell) April 19, 2018
19 years after Columbine, we are still grappling with senseless gun violence in our schools. I stand with all those participating in today's #NationalSchoolWalkout to honor those who were lost and to fight for gun safety and #GunsenseNow. pic.twitter.com/ApjwBW1vr2
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 20, 2018
The National Student Walkout coincided with the announcement of the launch of a star-studded initiative to destroy the NRA called the No Rifle Association.
The organization is backed by more than 130 Hollywood stars and, according to a letter intended to send a message to NRA executive VP Wayne LaPierre, is committed to “counteract the influence of NRA money in the political system.”
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.