American rapper Macklemore voices support for Palestine in Germany concert

BERLIN

Prominent American rapper Benjamin Haggerty, known as Macklemore, voiced his support for Palestine during a concert in Germany on Saturday.

Footage shared on social media shows Macklemore declaring his solidarity with the Palestinian cause as he performed before a crowd of 19,000 at the Sparkassenpark in Monchengladbach.

“There will never be reparations for that (the Holocaust). The only way that we can atone for our past today is by standing up against apartheid, against occupation, and against genocide for free Palestine. That’s the only way,” he said.

Macklemore stressed his desire for universal safety and love, saying: “I want everyone to feel like they can wake up and have a shot at the day, to have breath in their lungs and not be scared.”

He also criticized the Gaza policies of both the US and Germany, saying: “We are represented by the heart inside of our chest. Let that lead. Not our officials.”

Following his speech, Macklemore performed Hind's Hall, a song he wrote in support of Palestine.

Israel’s brutal military offensive has killed more than 36,400 Palestinians in Gaza since Oct. 7, following a Hamas incursion.

The majority of those killed are women and children, with over 82,600 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid Israel's crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul