US rapper Macklemore to stage ‘anti-Semitic’ song
Macklemore performing his new pro-Palestine anthem at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on Saturday night. Picture: TikTokBy GRACE BALDWIN
BREAKING NEWS REPORTER- 5:42PM MAY 13, 2024
- 72 COMMENTS
The multi-award winning artist, famous for chart-toppers like Thrift Shop and Same Love, released his song several days ago and made a clarion call for a free Palestine.
He is booked to perform a sold-out show at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday evening, supported by DJ Beeba.
The lyrics of Hind’s Hall express strong support for student protests on university campuses around the world, with a repeated line of “block the barricade until Palestine is free”.
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news.com.auMacklemore performs pro-Palestine anthem 'Hind's Hall' in Sydney
US hip hop artist Macklemore performed his latest... See more
“You can ban TikTok, take us out the algorithm, but it’s too late, we’ve seen the truth, we bear witness,” the song says.
“Seen the rubble, the buildings, the mothers and the children, and all the men that you murdered, and then we see how you spin it.
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“Who gets the right to defend and who gets the right of resistance, has always been about dollars and the colour of your pigment, but white supremacy is finally on blast.
“Screamin’ ‘Free Palestine’ ‘til they’re home at last.”
Macklemore said all proceeds from streaming the song would be donated to UNRWA.
Prominent Jewish leaders in Melbourne have slammed the song and its message as “vicious”, “full of slurs” and a “hateful ode to anti-Jewish bigotry”.
A costumed Macklemore performs in Seattle, Washington, in 2014. Picture: Suzi Pratt /FilmMagicAnti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich said “I’m sure this song will be No. 1 on the terrorist organisation’s streaming list. That it was released on Holocaust Remembrance Day is a slap in the face of every survivor who survived the death camps and lost relatives at the hands of the Nazis,” Dr Abramovich said.
“If Macklemore has any compassion and humanity, it clearly does not extend to the more than 1400 Israelis slaughtered by Hamas on October 7.
“He obviously has zero empathy and care for Jewish students on campuses who have been subjected to violence, threats and intimidation … and no longer feel safe going to class.”
Macklemore came under fire in 2014 for performing a concert in a costume that many claimed evoked anti-Semitic stereotypes.
Macklemore and the Rod Laver Arena were contacted for comment.
GRACE BALDWIN
BREAKING NEWS REPORTER
Grace is a breaking news reporter, editorial assistant and columnist for the Herald Sun. She enjoys irony and conversations with interesting people.... Read more
