Rapper Macklemore was joined by Greta Thunberg, Paloma Faith and Nemahsis as his sold-out Free Palestine Tour concluded at OVO Arena Wembley in London on October 30. Around 10,000 people attended the show, which combined performances from several artists with speeches from activists and campaigners. Proceeds were directed to 12 organisations supporting Palestinians.
The London concert was the final date of a three-show European benefit tour organised after Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's US Loop Tour for making pro-Palestinian statements on stage. Thunberg, who opened the evening, praised the resilience of people in Gaza and urged attendees to keep campaigning after leaving the venue. She said Palestinians had continued to celebrate their culture and support one another despite the devastation of the war, and argued that fundraising and solidarity also had to be matched by political change. The Swedish climate activist warned that the occupation would not end through philanthropy and slogans. Earlier, she had criticised Sheeran for lacking the courage to stand up to pressure from promoters and venue owners over Macklemore's removal.
Palestinian-Canadian singer Nemahsis, whose real name is Nemah Hasan, spoke about being dropped by her record label in 2023 after publicly expressing support for Palestine. « My existence is the strongest form of resistance », she told the crowd. Paloma Faith also performed and addressed the audience about the concerns she had felt over publicly backing the Palestinian cause. She said she was seven months postpartum and argued that the safety of children in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and Congo mattered as much as that of her own family.
Other speakers included Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos, who recalled the Nazi occupation of Budapest as a child, and Antoine Raffoul, who was displaced from Palestine during the Nakba in 1948. Arab Barghouthi, son of imprisoned Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti, spoke about his father's imprisonment and the importance of maintaining hope.
Macklemore then performed a headline set including Thrift Shop, Same Love, These Days, Glorious and Can't Hold Us, alongside his pro-Palestine protest track Hind's Hall. He referred to an unsuccessful attempt by 50 members of the House of Lords to block his entry to the UK. The peers had urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to stop the visit over concerns about the Palestinian Youth Movement, one of the tour's beneficiaries. The group has denied allegations that it celebrates terrorism or has links to terrorist organisations.
Reflecting on his decision to speak publicly about Gaza, Macklemore told the crowd that staying silent had become more uncomfortable than speaking out. « I don't believe that saying something is courageous. I believe that saying something is human », he said. The London show followed an opening night in Dublin on October 26, with Hozier, Kneecap and Beoga among the performers, and a Paris date on October 29 featuring Aurora, Pomme and The Man Who. After his removal from Sheeran's tour, Macklemore pledged his entire $1 million earnings to six organisations supporting Palestinians. Proceeds from the three benefit shows support groups including Medical Aid for Palestinians, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, Gaza Soup Kitchen, HEAL Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace and UNRWA USA.