A falling fence caused brief panic at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City on Saturday, September 29. People in the crowd heard the loud bang after a barrier crashed, and mistakenly thought the sound was a gunshot. Attendees were seen running from the sound.
Musician Chris Martin took the stage to calm the crowd, reassuring them that there was no danger. He said, “What happened is a barrier fell down. Of course it caused people to be a little frightened and stuff like that. But nobody is trying to hurt anybody. You’re all safe, ok? I just wanted to tell you that.”
Martin then introduced Assistant Chief Kathleen O’Reilly of the NYPD. She took the microphone and said, “Everybody relax. Calm down. It was a barrier collapse. No shots fired.”
The New York City Police Department also sent out a message on social media, confirming that there had not been any gunshots. The concert was briefly delayed as officers fixed the fallen barrier.
The Global Citizen Festival is an annual music event put on by the advocacy group Global Citizen. The group’s goal is to eradicate extreme poverty by the year 2030.
The first festival in 2012 attracted more than 60,000 people to the Great Lawn in New York City’s Central Park. Tickets are free and given out as rewards to people working to raise awareness about poverty. Chris Martin of Coldplay is involved with the organization and agreed to help produce the annual festival until 2030.
According to its website, “Tickets to the festival are accessed through points earned by taking actions to fight extreme poverty, such as signing petitions, sending tweets, calling your congressperson, and more. This concert is timed to coincide with the UN General Assembly to raise awareness and leverage government aid.”
The performers at this year’s festival included Janet Jackson, The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B, Janelle Monáe and John Legend.
Michelle Obama also got involved with the this year’s Global Citizen Festival. She recorded a video message for the crowd, which was then shared on social media.
She urged attendees to get to the ballot box and vote in the upcoming midterm election. “I’m thrilled that all of you are here tonight, and that you’re using your voices to lift up your communities, our country and our world. And no matter what issues you’re passionate about, no matter what causes you’re fighting for, there’s one thing all of you can do that I guarantee will make a difference. And that is electing leaders who share your values and will stand up for you in the halls of power. So as a citizen and an activist, it’s critical that you get registered and cast your vote this November.”