Star-studded London concert raises funds for Palestinians

LONDON

Dozens of musicians, actors, activists and speakers took to the stage at London’s biggest stadium on Wednesday to raise money for Palestinians at a fundraising concert for the war in Gaza.

The event, “Together for Palestine,” brought a star-studded lineup to Wembley Arena and included performances from Bastille, James Blake, Paloma Faith, Jamie xx, and PinkPantheress, as well as Palestinian artists such as Sama’ Abdulhadi, Saint Levant and Elyanna.

Actors such as Florence Pugh, Nicola Coughlan, and Benedict Cumberbatch, and other notable figures such as broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, footballer Eric Cantona and Francesca Albanese, the UN special envoy for Palestine, also spoke at the event.

The fundraiser was organized by British artist Brian Eno, who also performed. In an article he penned in the Guardian ahead of the event, Eno said he and others had been working for a year to make it happen.

“Even finding a venue proved challenging: the mere mention of the word “Palestine” was a near-certain precursor to refusal,” Eno wrote. “But at some point in the past few months, something changed. Wembley signed a contract, YouTube finally consented to streaming the event, and – most importantly – artists agreed to appear.”

Palestinian artist Malak Mattar helped design the set alongside famed stage designer Es Devlin. The set featured the work of eight Palestinian artists who have been killed by Israel, according to Vogue.