Brian Eno has written about his role in organising Together for Palestine, a concert at Wembley Arena on 20 February 2025. The event, which sold 12,000 tickets in two hours, features artists including Benedict Cumberbatch, Guy Pearce, Bastille, James Blake, PinkPantheress, Damon Albarn, Saint Levant and Elyanna. It will be opened by UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
Eno compares the concert to the 1988 Nelson Mandela birthday concert at Wembley Stadium, which he says helped make Mandela a household name and hastened his release. That event was broadcast to 600 million people despite opposition from Conservative MPs and initial BBC hesitation.
Eno argues that culture shapes politics, and that artists supporting Palestinian rights have faced censorship. He cites campaigns against film-maker Jonathan Glazer, actor Melissa Barrera being dropped by a Hollywood studio, and the BBC initially refusing to show a documentary on Gaza's health workers.
He notes that finding a venue for the concert was difficult, with the word 'Palestine' causing refusals. However, he says something changed in recent months, allowing Wembley to sign a contract and YouTube to stream the event. Eno hopes the concert will give people courage to speak out about Gaza.
