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James Corden Gives Emotional Monologue About Barcelona Attack: We Must Not Allow It to Become Normal

James Corden started off The Late Late Show on Thursday, August 17, by paying tribute to the victims of the Barcelona terrorist attack.

Earlier in the day, a van plowed into the crowd at popular tourist spot Las Ramblas, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 100 people from 34 different countries. Hours later, another vehicle ran into pedestrians in the nearby town of Cambrils, killing one woman and injuring several others.

James Corden
James Corden

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“You will by now have heard about the tragic events today in Barcelona,” Corden, 38, said in his monologue. “It saddens me that once again I need to start our program talking about another appalling tragedy in the world.”

He went on to mention other recent terror attacks in Europe. “When we hear about London or Paris, Stockholm and now Barcelona, you could almost start to become numb to it, like this is something becoming normal and we don’t need to talk about it here on our show,” he said. “But we think we mustn’t allow it to become something that’s normal. We must talk about it so that we remember how sad, horrific and tragic these moments are. To the people of Spain and Barcelona, I just want to add to the rest of the world outpouring of love and give our thoughts for you.”

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Corden concluded the emotional monologue by talking about the victims. “We are thinking about the victims and their families on what must be unimaginable day of horror for them,” he said. “Our job here is to bring a bit of light and levity to the end of your day in a world where it is becoming often too hard to find.”

Stephen Colbert also gave his condolences to those affected by the Barcelona tragedy. “I want to take a moment to send our thoughts to the people of Barcelona, Spain, who suffered a horrific attack today,” he said on The Late Show on Thursday. “A vehicle drove into a crowd in that city killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more. This is heartbreaking reminder that evil is real, and that the United States is not alone in fighting it. 

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He praised President Donald Trump’s initial response, which read, “The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough & strong, we love you!”

Colbert, 53, continued, “I also want to note that today, this afternoon, President Trump said the right thing. Thank you sir. Simple, dignified, presidential. That’s what you want. That’s what you hope for. That’s all you can ask. He’s right, we love you Spain. I was sincerely happy to see that kind of moral leadership from our president … for about 45 minutes.” He went on to mock Trump’s follow-up tweet, which referenced an urban legend about U.S. General John Pershing’s treatment of terrorists.

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