The Weeknd calls for justice for Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake at VMAs

The Weeknd took to the stage twice on Sunday at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on account of winning the Video of the Year for Blinding Lights and the best R&B video for the same song.

Keeping his acceptance speeches to a bare minimum, the 30-year-old called out for 'justice' for Jacob Blake and Breonna Taylor, reported the DailyMail.

“Thank you, VMAs and MTV,” he began during his first win of the evening for the Best R&B for Blinding Lights. “I want to thank Lamar Taylor and Anton Tammi for the video.”

He then mentioned the Black individuals injured or killed by police in the past year. “It's hard for me to celebrate right now and enjoy this moment. So I'm just going to say justice for Jacob Blake and justice for Breonna Taylor. Thank you.”

When the Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) came on stage toward the end of the distanced ceremony he repeated his speech almost word for word and with a similar cadence, raising the possibility that the pre-taped speeches were recorded back-to-back.

The Can't Feel My Face singer was made-up to look as if he'd been beaten up, and his face was coated with blood smears and fake lacerations. He dressed up in a scarlet blazer with a black shirt, matching tie and black trousers. The ensemble was tied together with black and white loafers and thick black leather gloves.

The look, including the injury makeup, was part of his character for his album After Hours, and he's worn it during multiple appearances and performances. However, it made all the more sense when paired with an invocation of Black people who had been gunned down by police brutality in the States.

In the winning video for Blinding Lights, The Weeknd can be seen being beat up by the club bouncers.

Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by the police officers outside of an apartment building in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on August 23. Though he survived his injuries, Blake is currently paralyzed and was initially shackled to his bed by the police, only to be freed of his restraints later.

The shooting kicked off days of ongoing unrest in the region and around the country.

As for Taylor, she was shot eight times by a few officers who entered her home using an illegal no-knock warrant in Louisville, Kentucky on March 13. The incident occurred since the police was “searching for a suspect who didn't even live with Taylor and was already in police custody at the time of the raid that killed her.”

Though her death didn't initially inspire protests, the uprising following killing of George Floyd created renewed interest in her death.

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