Paul McCartney Pays Tribute to John Lennon at NYC March for Our Lives Protest

McCartney's former bandmate was shot a few blocks from Central Park in 1980.

March 24, 2018

Sir Paul McCartney joins thousands of people, many of them students, march against gun violence. — Image via Getty/Spencer Platt
Getty

Celebrities have turned up in support of the March for Our Lives protests happening all over the country. That includes Sir Paul McCartney. Paul's appearance at the New York protest was especially important since former Beatles bandmate and close friend John Lennon was shot and killed just a few blocks away from where it was taking place.

"As you know, one of my best friends was shot not far from here," he told a CNN reporter. "So it's important to me."

With the protests happening near Central Park, McCartney was referring to the nearby Dakota Building where Lennon lived before being gunned down by Mark David Chapman in 1980.

Donning a shirt that reads "We Can End Gun Violence," McCartney was seen right in the mix with the rest of the protestors in Manhattan when he spoke briefly with CNN. When asked if he thinks gun control can be achieved at the legislative level as federally as it has in select states, the English rocker was unsure. "I'm like everyone else. I don’t know," he said. "But this is is what we can do, so I’m here to do it."

Almost 800 protests are currently happening in cities around the world to call for the reform of current gun laws. The worldwide protest was organized by the survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in February, who have continued to be vocal about gun control across the country.

While some celebrities like McCartney made their way to protests in various cities, others opted to donate their money. George Clooney and wife Amal donated $500,000 to the protests, as did Oprah and director Steven Spielberg. The usually apolitical Taylor Swift also donated an undisclosed amount to the cause.