Macklemore has gone viral after releasing a pro-Palestine song criticizing US President Joe Biden for his role in the bloody Gaza conflict.
‘Hind’s Hall’, referring to the Columbia University building renamed by pro-Palestinian protesters in honor of a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in an Israeli airstrike two months ago in Gaza while waiting for help while trapped in a car and surrounded of corpses of their relatives, was spread on social networks on Monday.
The song, which has been viewed by 24 million people on Twitter alone, takes aim at Joe Biden, who until last night had consistently provided military support to 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 fuck no, I’m not voting for you in the fall.
The rapper, best known for his pro-LGBTQ+ rights song Same Love, also criticized the music industry for being “complicit in his platform of silence.”
The song’s accompanying video intersperses its lyrics with clips of protests at American universities, which have seen a wave of clashes between protesters and university 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 clash with police during demonstrations at the City College of New York (CUNY)
Police clash with pro-Palestinian protesters after order to disperse at UCLA
The video that accompanies the song intersperses its lyrics with clips of protests at American universities.
He called out police forces for their brutality and asked: ‘What’s so threatening about divesting and wanting peace?
‘Fuck the police,’ he continued. “Actors with badges protecting property and a system designed by white supremacy.”
Proceeds from streaming the song, which has yet to be released on streaming platforms, will be donated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which has had much of its funding cut. funding this year following allegations that its workers were involved in the Oct. 7 attack. .
Macklemore has long been a supporter of the 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 an October 19 statement in which he condemned Hamas’ bloody incursion into Israel and Israel’s brutal response against the Gaza Strip, calling the latter “a genocide in the making” and a “backed catastrophe.” for the United States.”
Law enforcement officers walk as they clean up the protest camp in support of Palestinians at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Members of the New York City Police Department arrest a pro-Palestinian protester during a march
Columbia University students protest outside the homes of university administrators
But he was previously involved in a controversy over anti-Semitism, after wearing an oversized nose, a bowl-cut wig and a long beard during a performance in Seattle in 2014, leading critics to say he deliberately dressed a “stereotypical Jew.”
The rapper eventually apologized, claiming that he did not intend to be a caricature of a Jewish person and that he had chosen his costume at random to move freely during his show.
Last night, the United States detained a shipment of powerful bombs to Israel, a US official said, as Washington pressures its ally to avoid a full-scale invasion of the populous city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and give more time for ceasefire talks.
Hamas said its fighters were fighting Israeli troops in the east of the city, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere in the enclave. Residents said clashes were still continuing on the outskirts.
Israel has threatened a major assault on Rafah to defeat thousands of Hamas fighters it says are hiding there, but Western nations and the United Nations have warned that a large-scale attack on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe.
Protesters walk next to the UBS building as Columbia University students protest outside the offices of university administrators.
Pro-Palestinian protesters marched in Manhattan, New York, condemning the Israeli Defense Forces’ military operations in Gaza.
A senior US official said President Joe Biden’s administration stopped a weapons shipment 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 following the Hamas attack on October 7. Washington is Israel’s closest ally and its main weapons supplier.
A senior Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, said that “if we have to fight with our nails, then we will do what we have to do.” Israel’s army spokesman said coordination between the allies was unmatched and any disagreements were resolved privately.
Israel’s offensive has killed 34,789 Palestinians, most of them civilians, in the conflict, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.
The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 more, according to Israeli counts.