MACKLEMORE OPENS FREE PALESTINE TOUR IN DUBLIN

Macklemore opened his Free Palestine tour at Dublin’s sold-out 3Arena. Hozier, Kneecap and Beoga joined the American rapper at the venue, which has a capacity of 13,000. The concert marked the tour’s first European date. Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, has said proceeds will go to organisations supporting Palestinians. He announced the tour after his removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour last month.

The removal followed Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian comments at concerts, including his description of deaths during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide, a characterisation Israel rejects. Sheeran said his promoter made the decision to remove Macklemore. A Kneecap member told the Dublin audience, “We’d like to thank Ed Sheeran for organising this concert.” Palestinian American DJ Habibeats, hip-hop duo Dead Prez and singer Lina Makoul also performed. Actors Mark Ruffalo and Cynthia Nixon and the Strokes’ Julian Casablancas sent video messages.

Macklemore is scheduled to perform in Paris on Thursday and London on Friday. Concertgoers in Dublin wore Palestinian jerseys and keffiyeh scarves, while others carried Palestinian and Irish flags. Israel launched its Gaza campaign after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 70,000 people have been killed during Israel’s campaign; the UN considers the ministry’s figures reliable. Israel says its forces conduct self-defence operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in accordance with international law.