Macklemore has publicly responded to the 50 peers who urged the Home Secretary to bar him from entering Britain ahead of his Free Palestine tour. The 43-year-old musician, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, referenced the letter sent to Shabana Mahmood during his sold-out benefit concert in London on Friday night.
The letter, written by the Government’s former adviser on political violence, Baron Walney, claimed the concert was ‘not conducive to the public good’.
On-stage response at Wembley Arena
Speaking to the crowd at Wembley Arena, Macklemore said: ‘This is the story tonight of love. Regardless of what them 50 Lords have to say, this is a story of equality for all human beings around this earth.’
He added: ‘So we came here to focus on love. We came here to celebrate life. We came here to be in solidarity and we came here to remind one another of our light.’
Macklemore also spoke about feeling unable to stay silent on Israel’s military action in Gaza, which he described as brutal and which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and levelled much of the Gaza Strip.
Guest appearances and tour details
During the gig, the rapper was joined onstage by singer Paloma Faith and activist Greta Thunberg, who delivered a speech about the need for further action to support Palestine.
‘Do not for one second think that you have done enough by attending a benefit concert or by donating money, because the occupation will not end by philanthropy and slogans,’ Thunberg said. ‘We can change all the hearts and minds in the world, but that has to be paired with actual policy change in a way that actually challenges our extremely violent status quo.’
Earlier in the show, Macklemore referred to the ‘journey’ he wanted to share with the audience, saying: ‘We’re going to take you guys back to an anti-capitalist anthem,’ before his 2012 hit Thrift Shop began playing.
Tour background and beneficiaries
The Free Palestine tour began in Dublin earlier this week, where Macklemore was joined by Hozier and Kneecap. The tour follows his departure as an opening act for Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour last month, amid alleged pressure from billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft, a longtime supporter of Israel. Every other artist on Sheeran’s tour subsequently quit in solidarity with Macklemore.
The Grammy-winning musician announced the Free Palestine tour after going on sale last month, saying it ‘sold out immediately’. All proceeds are going to organisations working in support of Palestinian people, providing medical care, humanitarian assistance, education, community support and advocacy. Those organisations include Anera, Glia, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Taawon, Heal Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Institute for Middle East Understanding, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and UNRWA USA.
