Paramore has released a statement about "perpetuating hatred" following the Club Q shooting in Colorado over the weekend.
Frontwoman Hayley Williams and her bandmates Taylor York and Zac Farro issued a joint statement on social media on Tuesday condemning the shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs.
"When someone says to not politicise moments like the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs..." the band wrote. "The hatred and the prejudice against any marginalised group is historically political. And did you think that these prejudices stop at the polls?"
They continued, "You're either perpetuating love or perpetuating hatred. Anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric is hatred, be it in policy or locker room conversation. Politicians and other powerful people have a choice. Just like walking in to a nightclub full of human beings and taking their lives was a choice in favour of hatred.
"Our hearts go out to the entire community in Colorado Springs. The LGBTQIA+ community and the families and friends who lost precious people who are more than just a statistic or a headline."
A 22-year-old gunman opened fire at Club Q on Saturday night, killing five people and injuring 18 others before he was subdued by patrons and arrested by police.
On Sunday, the club released a statement saying they were "devastated by the senseless attack on our community".
