Ian Astbury apologises for ‘all lives matter’ comment at gig

The Cult star Ian Astbury has apologised for offending fans with his “all lives matter” remarks at the RBC Bluesfest in Canada over the weekend (09Jul16).
Like many rockers, the She Sells Sanctuary singer was trying to make sense of a week of violence in the U.S. as tensions between police officers and African-Americans reached a new high with the deaths of five cops at a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas, Texas.
He took the stage in Ottawa on Saturday, and took a moment during his band’s set to call on young music fans to step up in the fight against racism and lashed out at “dumba**es with guns”.
But his “all lives matter” comment led to backlash online as activists accused him of diminishing the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The rocker took to Facebook on Monday (11Jul16) to apologise for using the phrase.
“I sincerely and deeply apologize to everyone I offended by using the phrase ‘all lives matter’,” he wrote. “I fully support #‎blacklivesmatter and wished to show my solidarity.
“So disheartened to know that I have offended people of color. Thank you for enlightening me that this phrase is offensive. I shall never use it again.”