Grammy-winning rapper Macklemore has announced a new concert series, “Free Palestine,” with all proceeds going to Palestinian aid organisations. The tour will open with three European dates before further shows, including in the United States, are confirmed.
The run begins at Dublin’s 3Arena on October 26, followed by Paris’ Accor Arena on October 29 and London’s OVO Arena Wembley on October 30. An artist presale opens at 10 a.m. local time on Monday via Macklemore.com.
According to a Live Nation press release, proceeds will benefit a list of organisations including 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, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
The announcement follows Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour of North and South America, which he said came after onstage pro-Palestinian comments. Sheeran said at the time that the decision to drop Macklemore was made by the tour’s promoter, not by him. Macklemore has said the move was led by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, whose Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where Sheeran is scheduled to perform later this month. Since Macklemore’s removal, all of Sheeran’s other supporting acts have withdrawn from the tour, including a group that performs alongside Sheeran during part of his show.
Announcing the new tour on Instagram, Macklemore wrote:
“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.”
“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.”
Macklemore also said he will donate $1 million from his net earnings on the tour to six organisations working to help Palestinians.
