Macklemore declares ‘F— America’ to cheers at Seattle concert benefiting UN agency with alleged Hamas ties
The rapper Macklemore told a crowd of Seattle concertgoers “F— America,” according to video of his recent “Palestine Will Live Forever” performance shared on X.
“Straight up, say it. I’m not gonna stop you. I’m not gonna stop you,” Macklemore said, appearing to reference chants from the crowd.
“Yeah, F— America,” the Grammy-winning performer said, sending the crowd into cheers. The video was shared on X by journalist Cam Higby.
Macklemore, a 41-year-old rapper born Benjamin Hammond Haggerty in Kent, Washington, had advertised a “Palestine Will Live Forever Festival” on his Facebook page.
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Macklemore performs onstage during the ibis RockCorps France at Accor Arena on May 29, 2024, in Paris. (Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
He said the proceeds of the event held at Seward Park Amphitheater would go to various groups, including the controversial agency known as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
Israeli officials have declared that UNRWA is strongly tied to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The U.N. itself announced in August that nine UNRWA staffers would be fired due to possible involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel.
Fox News digital reached out to representatives for Macklemore for comment, but they did not immediately respond.
Macklemore dropped an anti-Israel song in May titled “Hind’s Hall,” referring to the Columbia University building that students occupied and renamed in honor of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in the Israel-Gaza war. The song praised the anti-Israel encampments and protests on college campuses across the country and called out President Biden, the police and the music industry.
The rapper this month dropped a second version of the song that now calls out Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic presidential nominee when Biden backed out of the race in July.
Macklemore had advertised a “Palestine Will Live Forever Festival” on his Facebook page. (Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
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Macklemore seems to threaten that Harris will lose support in the battleground state of Michigan, which has a large Arab and Muslim community in Dearborn, for supporting Israel.
“Hey Kamala, I don’t know if you listening but stop sending the money and weapons or you ain’t winning Michigan. We uncommitted and hell no we ain’t switching positions because the whole world turn Palestinian,” the song says.
The music video shared on X shows a clip of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Mich., when those lyrics play. The song also includes the antisemitic chant, “From the river to the sea,” which calls for the elimination of Israel.
Macklemore, who has an estimated net worth of $25 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, also declares in the second version of the song, “Capitalism killing us, that’s something we can’t afford” and sings, “There will never be freedom by pleading with Zionists.”
Macklemore wears a Palestinian flag onstage during the ibis RockCorps France on May 29, 2024, in Paris. (Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)
Macklemore has increasingly weighed in on conflicts in the Middle East. Last month, he canceled an upcoming October concert in Dubai over the United Arab Emirates’ role “in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis” in Sudan through its reported support of the paramilitary force that’s been fighting government troops there, according to The Associated Press.
In an Instagram post at the time, Macklemore said he had a series of people “asking me to cancel the show in solidarity with the people of Sudan and to boycott doing business in the UAE for the role they are playing in the ongoing genocide and humanitarian crisis.”
Fox News’ Teny Sahakian and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
