A charity event at Wembley Arena has raised £1.5m to support Palestinian-led organisations working on the frontline of the Israel-Hamas war.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed and Richard Gere were among the stars lending their voice to Together For Palestine on Wednesday, organised by songwriter, artist and activist Brian Eno.
It comes days after a two-year UN investigation found Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, which it denies.
High-profile names from across the globe and spanning the generations were there, with musicians, actors, sportspeople, journalists and poets contributing to the show.
Actress Florence Pugh spoke on stage, telling the crowd: “Silence in the face of such suffering is not neutrality, it is complicity. Empathy should not be this hard and it should have never been this hard”.
Hollywood actor Gere was joined on stage by medics who have served on the ground in Gaza, urging the audience to use their voices by “speaking the truth with generosity and love, that’s how you change things”.
Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan called on other artists to speak up too, saying: “There are many artists that I love, and I know you love, who have hundreds of millions of followers, and they’re saying nothing.”
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Broadcaster Louis Theroux spoke movingly about his time making a documentary in the West Bank, saying the people of Palestine were “subjected to a kind of slow, grinding, relentless violence”.
Music-wise, a live ensemble featuring Damon Albarn, Paul Weller, Adnan Joubran, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Nadine Shah performed a specially composed musical piece, and Neneh Cherry, Greentea Peng, and Bastille singer Dan Smith united for a rendition of Cherry’s hit song 7 Seconds.
A pre-recorded version of Annie Lennox’s Why was played, with revised lyrics to reflect the horrors of the Israel-Hamas war and there was an exclusive filmed performance by Bristol band Portishead.
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From the sports world, football star Eric Cantona called for a global boycott of Israel throughout football, asking clubs to refuse to play Israeli teams, saying: “It’s time for everyone to get off the sidelines, who will follow me?”
Poetry and prose were also read out, and Palestinian art was showcased throughout the concert.
Money raised from the concert – which was arranged just seven weeks ago and saw tickets sell out in hours – will be distributed to Palestinian-led organisations such as Taawon, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Palestine Medical Relief Service.
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It’s the first large-scale music event to show support for Palestine, following individual shows of solidarity from several artists, some of which have provoked backlash.
Electronic music band Massive Attack projected a Palestinian flag on stage at one of their concerts in Bristol last year.
Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with supporting a proscribed terror organisation after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in London in November last year.
In June, punk duo Bob Vylan led chants of “death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)” during a set at Glastonbury Festival. The BBC, who livestreamed the set, were forced to apologise, and a police investigation is currently underway.
Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say nearly 65,000 people have been killed in the two years of the war – a figure that doesn’t differentiate between fighters and civilians.
The war began after the Hamas terror attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 and saw 251 taken hostage. Forty-eight hostages remain in Gaza, but fewer than half are thought to still be alive.
