Though he didn’t anticipate giving a speech during the pro-Palestine demonstration on Saturday (11.04) in Washington, D.C., Macklemore stood in front of the thousands of protesters who showed up in support of a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Macklemore speaks at the “Free Palestine” rally in DC:
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 4, 2023
“They told me to do my research, that it’s too complex, to be silent … In the last 3 weeks, I’ve gone back & I have done some research, I don’t know everything, but I know enough to know that this is a genocide.” pic.twitter.com/QQcjZQcSFQ
Standing at the podium, the superstar musician said “I didn’t expect to be on a microphone.” “There are thousands of people here more qualified to speak on the issue of a free Palestine than myself.” “But I will say this.” “They told me to be quiet. They told me to do my research, to go back, that it’s too complex to say something, right? To be silent in this moment. In the last three weeks I’ve gone back and I’ve done some research … I’m teachable. I don’t know enough. But I know enough that this is a genocide.”
This weekend’s protest addressed Israel’s retaliation for the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, which killed more than 1,400 people which led to the Israeli military killing 9,000+ people in Gaza, including children, women and the elderly, according to reports from CNN.
On October 19, Macklemore took to Instagram with a statement on the conflict and shared a video from the crowd of Saturday’s rally in an Instagram Story, along with the caption:
“I have been in fear. I have felt a literal lump in my throat and I cannot stay silent any longer. I condemn the murder of any human. The bombings, kidnappings and murder of the Israeli people carried out by Hamas was horrific in every way imaginable. My heart deeply hurts for the Israelis that lost loved ones to such an abomination. As a father I cannot imagine if one my kids was at that festival, or was still missing after being kidnapped. It is absolutely unfathomable. But killing innocent humans in retaliation as collective punishment is not the answer. That is why I am supporting the people around the world who are calling for a ceasefire.”
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Markus Felix | PushingPixels