Macklemore Tour Funds Group That Defended Hamas Hostage-Taking
Proceeds from the rapper's upcoming UK concert will benefit an organization whose spokesperson praised the Oct. 7 attacks.
Macklemore's upcoming UK tour will benefit the Palestine Youth Movement, a group whose British spokesperson defended Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, hostage-taking as "legitimate" and "effective," The Jewish Chronicle reported. Proceeds from the artist's Oct. 30 concert at London's Wembley Arena will support several organizations, including the Palestine Youth Movement.
Jeanine Hourani, a UK spokesperson for the Palestine Youth Movement, previously defended the taking of hostages during the Oct. 7 atrocities, while the group itself has characterized the massacres as a "prison break."
The Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) warned that funding the Palestine Youth Movement through his tour risks legitimizing violence against Jewish communities. The group urged Live Nation, which manages the Wembley Arena concert, to reveal its vetting process and outline safety measures to protect Jewish staff and attendees from antisemitic incitement.
This controversy follows Macklemore's removal as an opening act from Ed Sheeran's U.S. tour in September. During two performances at MetLife Stadium, the rapper declared "Free Palestine" and accused Israel of genocide and apartheid. The Israeli-American Council praised the decision to remove him, stating that while the rapper may have a First Amendment right to express such views, he does not have the right to "peddle his poison on stage."
Following his removal from the U.S. tour, Macklemore announced a "Macklemore & Friends — Free Palestine Tour."