The city of London was the scene of the largest fundraising concert for Palestine, with the event “Together For Palestine” (together for Palestine ”) at the Wembley Arena stadium, on Wednesday (17).
With the concert to raise millions of pounds in ticket sales and goods, the revenue will be intended for organizations led by Palestinians, such as Taawon and Palestine Medical Relief.
With several actors, singers and Palestinian and non -Palestinian activists in the program, the artists made musical performances and discourses while making aware of the situation in Gaza. British comedian Guz Khan was the presenter of the ceremony.
Among the musical talents, British musician Brian Eno was one of the organizers of the concert. Eno recited a poem, followed by a musical set presentation with talents such as British guitarist Paul Weller and Palestinian yellow player Adnan Joubran.
Each presentation was accompanied by paintings in the background, each painted 15 Palestinian artists, curated by the Palestinian painter Malak Mattar.
A vibrant presentation of singing and dance ended the show, with London Arab Orchestra collaborating with Juzour Dance Collective to play popular Palestinian protest songs such as “Dammi Falastini” (“My Blood is Palestinian”).
The presentation was also accompanied by Damon Albarn’s musical talents and his band Gorillaz, with the band’s virtual members being portrayed with the Palestinian flag in the same pose as Navy Soldiers by the US flag in Iwo Jima.
Aposes by a ceasefire, sanctions against Israel and the fight against genocide were echoed by several artists. Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah asked the public to pay tribute to health professionals in Palestine, followed by a pre-recorded presentation by the British band Portishead, who met only for the “Together For Palestine” concert.
Hollywood actor also made an appearance, recalling how he once introduced Dire Straits at Wembley Stadium to Nelson Mandela’s charity concert in 1988. But now, Gere added, the focus needs to be “our Palestinian brothers and sisters.”
The actor read a poem by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, while British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan highlighted the death of more than 270 Palestinian journalists since October 7, 2023.
Israel isolated Gaza by land in early March, not allowing supplies to enter three months, which led to widespread food scarcity. Israel said Hamas was diverting help. Several human rights and scholars experts claim that Israel’s military attack on Gaza is equivalent to genocide.
On September 16, a United Nations Inquiry Committee stated that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
