Fifty members of the UK House of Lords have urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to bar American rapper Macklemore from entering Britain ahead of his London concert, citing concerns over his plan to donate tour proceeds to a pro-Palestinian group accused of justifying the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, reports GB News.
The cross-party group of peers signed a letter urging the home secretary to revoke Macklemore's electronic travel authorisation, arguing that his presence in the country would not be "conducive to the public good".
The rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, is scheduled to perform at OVO Arena Wembley on 30 October as part of his "Free Palestine Tour". Concerts in London, Dublin and Paris reportedly sold out shortly after tickets went on sale.
Macklemore has said the shows demonstrate how many people around the world are standing together for a free Palestine. He has pledged to donate the tour's proceeds to the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM).
The campaign to prevent his entry is being led by Baron Walney, a former government adviser on political violence. The peers' letter describes PYM as an organisation accused of glorifying terrorism and intimidating elected representatives.
The group has faced criticism over social media posts following the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed. One post reportedly stated that "when people are occupied, resistance is justified", while an article published on the first anniversary of the attacks described 7 October as a "prison break".
PYM denies allegations that it celebrates terrorism or has links to terrorist organisations.
In their letter, the peers argued that allowing Macklemore to raise money in Britain for the group would be inappropriate. They said refusing entry would be a targeted measure that would not prevent people from supporting humanitarian organisations or listening to his music.
Among the signatories are former Conservative Party chairman Baron Pickles of Brentwood, former Northern Ireland First Minister Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee, former 1922 Committee chairman Baron Brady of Altrincham, Baron Goldsmith, barrister Baron Pannick KC and historian Baron Roberts of Belgravia.
Dispute follows removal from Ed Sheeran tour
Macklemore announced the new tour after being dropped from Ed Sheeran's US tour in September. The move followed his leading pro-Palestinian chants during two performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of Gillette Stadium, had called for Macklemore to be removed from future performances. Several other support acts, including Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and backing band Beoga, also withdrew in solidarity.
Sheeran later apologised on stage for what he described as "mistakes", calling the episode the "worst week of my life".
GB News said it had approached Macklemore's representatives and PYM for comment.