Macklemore announces "Free Palestine" tour after being dropped from Ed Sheeran's concerts
American rapper Macklemore has announced a charity tour called "Free Palestine." As part of the tour, he will perform in Dublin, Paris, and London, and all proceeds from the concerts will go to organizations supporting Palestinians.
According to The FADER, the Dublin show will take place on October 26, the Paris show on October 29, and the London show on October 30. The exact venues and lineup were still being finalized at the time of publication. The rapper also said that additional dates in the U.S. would be announced later.
"The last few weeks have shown us how much has changed over the past three years. There has been a collective awakening around the liberation of Palestine, the influence of billionaires trying to silence that call, and what we now expect from artists," Macklemore stated.
In his words, artists should use their platforms not only for entertainment, but also to speak out against attempts to silence calls for a free Palestine.
"What happened to me goes beyond one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide whose voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to be heard, everyone should pay attention," the rapper said.
Macklemore noted that over the past week he had been in contact with artists who publicly expressed solidarity with Palestinians despite the possible consequences.
"We're going on tour. FREE PALESTINE TOUR," he announced.
The rapper also said that all proceeds from the concerts would be directed to organizations supporting Palestinians and the movement for their rights.
Earlier, Macklemore was scheduled to perform at ten concerts as part of Ed Sheeran's American tour. After the first two performances at MetLife Stadium, where the rapper spoke out in support of Palestine and footage of destruction in the Gaza Strip was shown on the screens, he was removed from the rest of the program.
According to The FADER, Sheeran confirmed that pressure had been put on him by venue owners, including Robert Kraft, to have Macklemore removed from the tour. Sheeran himself stated that the decision was made by the promoter after talks with interested parties.
