Macklemore says that nine major US arenas have refused to host his Free Palestine fundraising tour, calling out “intimidation, manipulation and suppression” tactics.
asserted
arenas → say → tactics
In an Instagram post, the rapper says that he hoped to bring the tour to the US, but nine major arenas refused to host the event, including New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’s Crypto.com arena and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
asserted
arenas → say → Garden
Last month, Macklemore brought the Free Palestine tour to Dublin, London and Paris in a show praised by the Guardian’s Alexis Petridis as “a triumph”.
asserted
Macklemore → bring → triumph
The shows came in the wake of Ed Sheeran dropping the rapper from his US tour after he made an onstage speech in support of Palestine.
asserted
he → come → Palestine
“From the beginning, our plan was to bring this tour home to the US,” Macklemore wrote.
asserted
Macklemore → bring → US
“But after weeks of reaching out, nine major American arenas have turned us down.”
asserted
arenas → reach → us
Macklemore said that other venues in the New York tri-state area, including UBS arena and Prudential Center turned him down, as well as Los Angeles’s Intuit Dome and Kia Forum, San Francisco’s Chase Center and Seattle’s Climate Pledge arena.
asserted
venues → say → Dome
“By mid-September, we received available dates at these arenas through the end of the year.
asserted
we → receive → year
But once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine, those dates were suddenly off the table,” he said.
asserted
he → find → table
“The doors were closed.
asserted
doors → close → ?
The shows were not going to be allowed to happen in these venues.”
asserted
shows → go → venues
In an impassioned post that spanned seven Instagram slides, Macklemore said that he no longer cared about burning bridges with music industry top dogs.
asserted
he → span → dogs
“The intimidation, manipulation and suppression I experienced are part of how those in power keep entertainers quiet,” he said.
asserted
he → experience → entertainers
“It’s their main tactic to keep us in line.
asserted
It → ’ → line
Shut up and dribble, or you will be punished.
asserted
you → shut → ?
“But at this point, I’m three years past giving two shits about maintaining any relationships, business or personal, with anyone that isn’t riding for a Free Palestine.
asserted
that → ’m → Palestine
After making a brief speech in support of “the occupied West Bank” in early September while opening up for Sheeran, Macklemore was dropped from the tour.
asserted
Macklemore → make → tour
Sheeran claimed that US venues told him that they would refuse to host the show if the rapper continued as the tour’s supporting act.
asserted
rapper → claim → act
“I am not complicit,” Sheeran said.
asserted
Sheeran → say → ?
“I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.
asserted
I → have → conflict
Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean that I don’t care.
asserted
I → choose → them
Nor does it mean that I don’t support causes in my own, personal way.”
asserted
I → mean → way
Shortly after, all four opening acts as well as Sheeran’s live band quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
asserted
acts → quit → Macklemore
On social media, the rapper said: “I’d rather lose every opportunity in this industry than spend another day protecting people who value their business relationships with Israel more than they value Palestinian human life.
“I dream of a world where saying Free Palestine is not controversial,” he added.
asserted
he → say → Palestine
“It is expected.
asserted
It → expect → ?
Where artists value their freedom of speech and collective liberation more than their brand deals.
asserted
artists → value → deals
“Look at what just happened in Europe,” he went on, referring to his shows in Dublin, Paris and London.
asserted
he → look → Dublin
Tens of thousands of people from different backgrounds, religions and walks of life standing together.
asserted
thousands → stand → life
More than forty artists and speakers putting their names and platforms behind Palestinian liberation.
asserted
artists → put → liberation
For all the attempts to paint this movement as one rooted in hatred, what filled those rooms was love.
asserted
filled → paint → rooms
Macklemore went on to say that the political mood of the US was changing in the wake of the Democrats sweeping the midterm elections this week.
asserted
Democrats → go → elections
“The tides are turning,” he wrote.
asserted
he → turn → ?
“Just three nights ago, Abdul El-Sayed won his Senate race on a platform that included ending the genocide in Gaza and stopping U.S. arms sales to Israel.
asserted
that → win → Israel
AIPAC spent $42m trying to defeat him.
asserted
AIPAC → spend → him
And they still couldn’t win.
asserted
they → win → ?
“The trouble with buying power is believing you’ve bought the people too.
asserted
you → buy → people
The billionaires depend on our silence and complicity.
asserted
billionaires → depend → silence
They forget that we buy their tickets.
asserted
we → forget → tickets
We fill their arenas.
asserted
We → fill → arenas
We build their empires.
asserted
We → build → empires
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
