Teen Choice Awards: Jessica Alba condemns US gun violence in emotionally charged speech

'Tonight we stand together with these teens. United in our call for peace and an end to this violence,' says the singer

Jessica Alba has condemned the gun violence which recently erupted across the US and paid tribute to the victims of the violence.

Appearing at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday, the 35-year-old actress and businesswoman took to the stage alongside ten teenagers whose family have been directly affected by gun violence. The son of Alton Sterling, a father of five who was fatally shot by police while selling CDs in Baton Rouge, Louisiana appeared on stage among the siblings who lost their brother during the Orlando nightclub shooting.

After asking each one of the guests to introduce themselves, Alba called upon the US to recognise the violence inflicted upon these families in an impassioned speech which moved some viewers to tears.

“[They] share an unlikely bond that is hard to comprehend,” she told the crowd. “They’re the brothers, sisters, daughters, and family members of recent victims of gun violence. I’m talking about Aurora, Baton Rouge, Dallas, Minneapolis, Orlando, San Bernardino, Newtown. It keeps happening and it has to stop.”

Alba also emphasised the disproportionate impact of gun brutality on teens. “Tonight we stand together with these teens. United in our call for peace and an end to this violence. Now more than ever we need to stop, feel, and ask, ‘What’s going on?’” she concluded.

The singer Ne-Yo then performed Marvin Gaye’s “What’s going on?” on stage. Later on, the crowd were asked to take a photo of the group and post the image to social media alongside the hashtag #StopTheViolence which quickly began trending on social media.