America is mourning the deaths of two more of its own, shot dead by police.
Louisiana father-of-five Alton Sterling and unarmed Minnesota man Philando Castile both died at the hands of US police officers.
Shocking videos have emerged of both shootings and the deaths of the two African American men come against a depressing backdrop of fatal police shootings on minority communities in America.
The latest deaths have sparked outrage in communities across America which saw more than 1,100 deadly shootings by police last year, disproportionately on black citizens. Statistics show 97 per cent of the deaths were not followed by any charges of the police officers.
Now Beyonce has added her voice to the growing cacophony of anger, anguish and despair over civil rights in a powerful statement on her website.
The global star said ‘we are sick and tired of the killings of young men and women in our communities’
‘We don’t need sympathy we need everyone to respect our lives.
‘These robberies of lives make us feel helpless and hopeless, but we have to believe that we are fighting for the rights of the next generation.
‘The war on people of color and all minorities needs to be over.’
Her full statement, below, calls for people to channel their anger into demanding change from their politicians and legislators across America
This is @Beyonce's website right now pic.twitter.com/MyqaIpIKL0
— Colin Jones (@colinjones) July 7, 2016
Beyonce also paused her gig in Glasgow to lead a minute’s silence in memory of Sterling, Castile and the thousands of other Americans killed by guns each year…
Beyoncé just paused her Glasgow show for a moment of silence, displaying victims of police brutality. #AltonSterling pic.twitter.com/3T8KyAkfIA
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 7, 2016
