Grammy-winning rapper Macklemore announced a series of live performances called “Free Palestine,” with all proceeds going to Palestinian aid organisations.
The run will begin with three dates next month in Europe. It kicks off at Dublin’s 3Arena on October 26, followed by Paris’ Accor Arena on October 29 and London’s OVO Arena Wembley on October 30.
Additional artist announcements, as well as US dates, are forthcoming.
The shows will benefit several Palestinian aid organisations, including Gaza Soup Kitchen, HEAL Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children’s Alliance and Medical Aid for Palestinians. Institute for Middle East Understanding, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and an UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA USA.
“If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years. There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram in the caption of his “Free Palestine” announcement. “When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.”
Last week, Macklemore made headlines when it was revealed that he was dropped as an opener for Ed Sheeran’s tour of North and South America because of the rapper’s onstage pro-Palestinian comments. Since then, all of Sheeran’s other supporting acts dropped out, including a group that plays with Sheeran during part of the show.
At the time, Sheeran said the decision to cut Macklemore from the Loop Tour was the promoter’s, not his own.
Macklemore also announced he would donate $1 million from his net earnings from the tour to six organisations helping Palestinians.
