Macklemore has gone viral after releasing a pro-Palestine song in which he slams US president Joe Biden for his role in the bloody conflict in Gaza.
‘Hind’s Hall’, referencing the Columbia University building renamed by pro-Palestine protestors in honour of a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by an Israeli airstrike two months ago in Gaza as she waited for aid while trapped in a car and surrounded by her relatives’ dead bodies, was released on social media on Monday.
The song, which has been seen by 24million people on Twitter alone, takes aim at Joe Biden, who until last night had consistently provided military support for Israel.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, said in his song: ‘The blood is on your hands Biden, we can see it all. And f*** no, I’m not voting for you in the fall.’
The rapper, best known for his pro-LGBTQ+ rights song Same Love, also called out the music industry for being ‘complicit in their platform of silence.’
The video accompanying the song intersperses his lyrics with clips of protests across American colleges, which have seen a surge of clashed between protestors and campus police.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, (pictured) said in his song: ‘The blood is on your hands Biden, we can see it all’
Pro-Palestinian supporters confront police during demonstrations at The City College Of New York (CUNY)
Police clash with pro-Palestinian protesters after an order to disperse was given at UCLA
The video accompanying the song intersperses his lyrics with clips of protests across American colleges
He called police forces for their brutality, asking: ‘What is threatening about divesting and wanting peace?
‘F— the police,’ he continued. ‘Actors in badges protecting property and a system that was designed by white supremacy.’
Streaming proceeds from the song, which has not yet been released on streaming platforms, will be donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which had much of its funding cut this year following allegations its workers were involved with October 7 attack.
Macklemore has long been a supporter of Palestinian people.
In November, Macklemore gave an impromptu speech at a pro-Palestine rally in Washington DC, in which he told the crowd: ‘ ‘I don’t know enough, but I know enough that this is a genocide.’
His speech was preceded by a statement on October 19 in which he condemned Hamas’ bloody incursion against Israel, and Israel’s brutal response against the Gaza Strip, calling the latter ‘an unfolding genocide’ and a ‘US backed catastrophe.’
Law enforcement officers walk, as they clear out the protest encampment in support of Palestinians at the University of California Los Angeles
Members of the New York City Police Department arrest a pro-Palestine demonstrator during a march
Students from Columbia University protest outside homes of University Trustees
But he was previously involved in an anti-Semitism controversy, after wearing an oversized nose, bowl-cut wig and a long beard during a Seattle performance in 2014, prompting critics to say he deliberately dressed a ‘stereotypical Jew.’
The rapper eventually apologised, claiming he did not mean to be a caricature of a Jewish person, and that he had chosen his costume at random to move freely through his show.
Last night, the US halted a shipment of powerful bombs to Israel, a U.S. official said, as Washington puts pressure on its ally to avoid a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip’s crowded southern city of Rafah and give more time for ceasefire talks.
Hamas said its fighters were battling Israeli troops in the east of the city, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from combat elsewhere in the enclave. Residents said the fighting was still on the outskirts.
Israel has threatened a major assault on Rafah to defeat thousands of Hamas fighters it says are holed up there, but Western nations and the United Nations have warned a full-scale assault on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe.
Demonstrators walk next to the UBS building as students from Columbia University protest outside offices of University Trustees
Pro-Palestine demonstrators marched in Manhattan, New York City condemning the Israel Defense Forces’ military operations in Gaza
A senior U.S. official said President Joe Biden’s administration paused a shipment of weapons to Israel last week in an apparent response to the expected Rafah offensive. The White House and Pentagon declined to comment.
This would be the first such delay since the Biden administration offered its full support to Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Washington is Israeli’s closest ally and main weapons supplier.
A senior Israeli official, asking not to be named, said “if we have to fight with our fingernails, then we’ll do what we have to do.” Israel’s army spokesperson said coordination between allies was unmatched and any disagreements were resolved in private.
Israel’s offensive has killed 34,789 Palestinians, most of them civilians, in the conflict, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and abducting about 250 others, according to Israeli tallies.
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