British actor Stephen Mangan made a plea for more unity after Charlie Kirk was shot dead on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Twenty four years after the horrendous attack, celebrities, including actor Tom Hardy, TV presenter Holly Willoughby, and boxing legend Anthony Joshua, marked the anniversary raising money for good causes, as part of the BGC September 11th Charity Day.
The annual event was set up in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, where 719 BGC employees were tragically killed during the AL-Qaeda terrorist attack.
Now in its 20th year, the charity day supports 60 British charities and has raised more than $220million.
Stephen Mangan spoke to GB News
|GB NEWS
Stephen Mangan, who’s fundraising for HVH Arts, praised the event’s positive legacy and ability to unite people, even more crucial after the political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot dead in Utah on Wednesday.
The actor told GB News: “We saw the horrific shooting of Charlie Kirk, a young man with a family. It’s an awful, absolutely tragic situation. We don't need more division, we need to be brought together.”
TikTok legend Big John said events like these help to bring people together.
The social media star told the People's Channel: “There's a lot of division in the world at the moment, it’s a scary time. No matter what your political views are, you have to respect what other people think and believe.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Charlie Kirk was assassinated yesterday at a university campus in Utah
|REUTERS
"You should be able to talk and engage in conversation. When we lose conversation, we end up in a dangerous place.”
The charity day aims to raise £10million, as the profit and commission made on today’s trades are all being donated to good causes.
The day is especially significant to the BGC Co-Chief Executive, Sean Windeatt, who vividly remembers 9/11.
Windeatt told GB News: “I was on the phone to my colleague in the U.S. when suddenly the phone lines went dead.
"Over the next few moments, nobody knew what had happened, but once we found out, we were just in pure shock.”
One of the charities supported by the BGC Charity Day is the Veterans' Foundation, which helps soldiers who fought in the War on Terror in Afghanistan, launched after the Al-Qaeda attacks in 2001.
Former Royal Marine Mark Ormrod, who lost three limbs on tour in the Helmand province in 2007, said: “Afghanistan and Iraq aren't in the news anymore, so they’re not in the public perception.
"That means funding for veterans’ charities dwindles. But the things we went through we live with for the rest of our lives, that’s why fundraising events like today are so important.”
More From GB News