Macklemore has broken his silence after being dropped from Ed Sheeran's global Loop Tour, telling a London audience that staying silent about Gaza had become more uncomfortable than speaking out.
The 43-year-old rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, was removed from the tour hours after voicing support for Free Palestine during his warm-up slot for the A Team hitmaker. The remainder of Ed Sheeran's support acts subsequently pulled out, leaving Sheeran to apologise and perform the three-hour show alone.
Emotional speech at Wembley
On Saturday, October 30, Macklemore took to the stage in London for the latest stop of his Free Palestine tour. He told the sold-out crowd at the OVO Arena Wembley that he had reached a point where he could no longer remain silent about the conflict.
He said: "I was scrolling, scrolling and seeing the horrific, unimaginable catastrophe that was happening in front of our eyes. At a certain point, it was more uncomfortable for me to stay silent than to say something. I just want to say, I don't believe that saying something is brave. I don't believe that saying something is courageous. I believe that something is human. Those children in Gaza are our children. There is no separation."
His words drew loud cheers from the crowd, along with chants of 'Free Palestine'.
Support from Paloma Faith and Greta Thunberg
After the speech, Macklemore was joined onstage by supporters, including singer Paloma Faith, who spoke about motherhood and the value of every child's life.
The 45-year-old said: "It's scary to be in the public eye and to come out and say and stand up at these things. But it's not as scary as what would happen if we didn't do it."
Faith, who gave birth to her third child seven months ago, added that she was concerned about aligning herself politically because she has "a family to support". She went on: "But I just thought, 'Why are my children more important than the children in Gaza, and Palestine, and Sudan, Yemen and Congo? They are not more important. It breaks my heart to think that anyone thinks their children are more important than somebody else's. Every child deserves to have their mother hold them in their arms and say, 'It's going to be safe'. Right now, this world doesn't feel very safe for children."
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg also appeared at the concert, delivering a speech about what more needs to be done to support Palestinian people.
Free Palestine tour dates and beneficiaries
Macklemore kicked off his Free Palestine tour in Dublin earlier this week, joined by the likes of Hozier and Kneecap, before performing in Paris on Thursday, November 5, alongside artists including Aurora and DJ Habibeats.
The Grammy-winning musician previously said the gigs "sold out immediately" after going on sale last month. The concerts were announced shortly after he was dropped from the remaining US dates of Sheeran's tour following his comments about Gaza.
The show aims to unite artists and friends to help provide humanitarian aid and support for people in Palestine. All proceeds from the concerts will go towards organisations working in support of Palestinian people, providing medical care, humanitarian assistance, education, community support and advocacy.
Those organisations include Anera, Gila, 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.
