Lady Gaga slams immigration law

Pop superstar Lady Gaga slammed Arizona's controversial new immigration law and urged her fans to protest the measure at two points during her sold-out concert in Phoenix.

She said the law, part of which went into effect on July 29, had created "a state of emergency" in Arizona.

But she told her audience on Saturday, July 31 that she had decided not to boycott the state, as several other national touring acts, including Kanye West, Rage Against the Machine, Sonic Youth and Conor Oberst, have done.

About halfway through her concert at US Airways Center, Lady Gaga told the crowd, "I got a call from some big rappers and big rockers. They said, 'We'd like you to boycott Arizona because of SB 1070 (a law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration into the state).

"I told them, 'Do you really think that us . . . pop stars are going to shut down the state?"

She added, "We have to be active. We have to actively protest. . . . I will not cancel my show. I will hold you, and we will hold each other, and we will protest this state."

Many of the 14,000-plus fans in attendance applauded loudly during the star's rants, which came during the 100th show of her global Monster Ball Tour.

Later in the concert, Lady Gaga, who came to Arizona two days before her concert for some time off, said, "I met a boy today who is suffering. . . . He told me his house was raided because of a parking ticket or something.

"They took his brother, and now he is in Mexico . . . It's really (unfair), and it's really disgusting. I think it's important that people understand that it's a state of emergency for this place and this state."

The singer, who had "Stop SB 1070" written on her left forearm during the show, then dedicated the song "You and I" to the boy about whom she had spoken.

A judge temporarily has put on hold some of the key aspects of the law, but parts of it have gone into effect.

Lady Gaga also has been an outspoken advocate for gay rights, and she also addressed that issue in her Phoenix concert. She told her fans that she believes, ""Jesus loves everybody," no matter what his or her sexual orientation might be.

Source:  AZCentral 

by Larry Rodgers - Aug. 1, 2010 12:24 AM

The Arizona Republic