entering the country later this week to play the London date of his Free Palestine tour.

50 members of the House Of Lords have urged Mahmood to intervene based on concerns over one of the pro-Palestine groups that will get a share of the profits from the rapper’s upcoming shows. That group is the Palestinian Youth Movement, which describes itself as “a grassroots, independent movement that organises Palestinian and Arab youth to struggle for Palestinian liberation”. 

According to the Telegraph, the Lords write in a letter to the Foreign Secretary that Macklemore, “a foreign national”, plans to come to the UK “to raise money, from a British audience, for an organisation whose record of glorifying terrorism and of intimidating elected representatives should concern any government.”

Those allegations are based on past comments made by PYM and people associated with the organisation, including that the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7 2023 were “justified” and that Hamas taking Israelis hostage during those attacks was “legitimate” and “effective”.

PYM has also been criticised by some for producing a ‘siege on Labour’ toolkit, which suggested tactics for how pro-Palestine campaigners might lobby members of the UK Labour Party, and also encouraged protests outside the party’s local offices, including the constituency offices of individual MPs. 

On that toolkit, the Lords’ letter says, “constituency offices are where MPs and their staff are most exposed”, and therefore “organising crowds to lay ‘siege’ to those offices is not ordinary protest. It is an attempt to coerce members of Parliament through fear”.

Macklemore announced he would play three Free Palestine shows in Europe after being kicked off Ed Sheeran’s US tour over his on-stage criticism of Israel and support for Palestine.

He was axed from that tour, of course, at the insistence of some of the American stadiums where Sheeran was due to play, in particular the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, owned by billionaire businessman Robert Kraft, a prominent supporter of Israel.

Sheeran and his promoter giving way to Kraft’s demands and removing Macklemore from the line-up sent the whole tour into crisis as all the other support acts pulled out in solidarity with the rapper. Sheeran nevertheless ploughed on, initially without any support acts. Although – somewhat ironically – his two shows at Kraft’s Gillette Stadium did not go ahead because of stormy weather.

Macklemore played his first show since being sacked by Team Sheeran in the US last week at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. During that gig, he told his audience, “being a human being in this moment is not complicated. It is not political. It is human to have a heart, to watch others suffering and to say, ‘not anymore!’ So I say, free Palestine. I say, free Palestine!”

He then referenced other ongoing conflicts around the world, adding, “I say free Sudan. I say free Congo, Lebanon, to Haiti, to all the people that are affected by ICE in America, who are afraid to leave their houses”, ultimately concluding, “the message will always be love”. 

Macklemore’s Free Palestine tour kicks off in Dublin this evening, with a show in Paris to follow on Thursday, before reaching London’s Wembley Arena on Friday evening.

The shows, and the choice of organisations that benefit from them, were criticised by some Jewish groups in the UK shortly after the mini-tour was announced last month.

The Jewish Leadership Council said in a statement, “Macklemore is entitled to advocate for Palestinian rights. However, concerns arising from the imagery that he has used and material in his recent performances must be taken seriously”.

Addressing Live Nation, which has been marketing the Wembley show, the JLC asked the live music giant how it had “assessed concerns about this event” and “what steps” it was taking “to ensure that Jewish audiences and staff feel safe and welcome”.

The UK government could block the London edition of the Free Palestine tour by withdrawing Macklemore’s electronic travel authorisation, which is required to enter the country, in much the same way it did with Kanye West when his Wireless shows were announced earlier this year. 

Though any suggestion Macklemore’s on stage criticism of Israel is on a par with the outright antisemitism previously promoted by West would be very controversial. With that in mind, the Lords calling for Mahmood to block Macklemore’s London gig are obviously keen to stress that any block would be a response to PYM being a beneficiary, not to anything the rapper may or may not say on stage.

Blocking the show, they write, “would not prevent anyone in this country supporting the humanitarian organisations” that are being backed by Macklemore, nor would it “restrict access to his music”. If Mahmood does decide to intervene, she will be “simply declining to grant a foreign national the privilege of raising funds on British soil for an organisation” like PYM. 

The Lords’ letter was written by John Woodcock, who has been the subject of an official complaint to the House Of Lords Commissioner For Standards by the Good Law Project and Compassion In Politics over his ties to arms manufacturer Leonardo which has “extensive links” to Israel’s military. 

Also backing the letter are Eric Pickles – who is chair of the Conservative Friends Of Israel group in the House Of Lords – as well as Arlene Foster, Graham Brady and Peter Goldsmith.

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