Bono: Send Chris Rock And Amy Schumer To Fight Terror

'It’s like, you speak violence, you speak their language.'
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U2 frontman Bono has unveiled his suggestion for an elite squad which he believes can topple terror.

Comprising comedians Amy Schumer, Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen, the singer called on members of Congress to heed his brainwave during a speech at Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

In testimony before a Senate subcommittee, Bono said: “It’s like, you speak violence, you speak their language. But you laugh at them when they are goose-stepping down the street and it takes away their power.

Bono delivered a speech on Capitol Hill on Tuesday
Bono delivered a speech on Capitol Hill on Tuesday
ASSOCIATED PRESS

"So I am suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer and Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen, thank you."

Wearing his trademark rose-tinted sunglasses, Bono also called on Congress to take swift action to deal with the global refugee crisis, the Associated Press reports.

He drew a bleak picture as he described the flood of people fleeing their homes in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The human torrent threatens the very idea of European unity, he said, as he urged lawmakers to think of foreign aid as national security instead of charity.

Amy Schumer is one of Bono's suggestions in the global war on terror
Amy Schumer is one of Bono's suggestions in the global war on terror
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

"When aid is structured properly, with a focus on fighting poverty and improving governance, it could just be the best bulwark we have against the extremism of our age," Bono said.

Bono said members of Congress need to confront an "existential threat" to Europe that hasn't been seen since the 1940s. Countries such as Poland and Hungary are moving to the right politically, a shift he described as a "hyper nationalism." The UK Government will hold a referendum on 23 June on whether Britain will remain in the European Union.

"This is unthinkable stuff," he said. "And you should be very nervous in America about it."

Chris Rock is also in the U2 frontman's proposed lineup
Chris Rock is also in the U2 frontman's proposed lineup
Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Africa, in particular, is grappling with what Bono called a phenomenon of three extremes - ideology, poverty and climate.

"Those three extremes make one unholy trinity of an enemy and our foreign policy needs to face in that direction," he said. "It's even bigger than you think."

Bono said he understood the financial stress the U.S. and other nations are under as they debate how much foreign aid to allot. But he warned the bills will only get bigger without action.

"If you don't do it now, it's going to cost a lot more later," he said. "I do know that."

Sacha Baron Cohen will complete the trio
Sacha Baron Cohen will complete the trio
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

In Syria, five years of violence has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced another 11 million from their homes. Nearly 174,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea since the beginning of this year alone and 723 are missing or dead, many drowning in the cold, rough waters, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Before sitting at the witness table, Bono posed for photos with three members of Code Pink, who wore pink tiaras and held cardboard torches and signs reading "Refugees Welcome."

Cameras whirred furiously as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the subcommittee chairman, quipped, "So this is what it's like to be chopped liver." Bono joined a congressional delegation led by Graham that just returned from Africa and the Middle East.

Bono co-founded the One Campaign, an advocacy group that works to end poverty and preventable disease.

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