Macklemore performs in ‘Free Marwan’ shirt to urge release of terrorist serving 5 life terms for murderous terror attack

The Seattle rapper appeared in the shirt at OVO Arena Wembley on October 30, closing his three-city “Free Palestine” tour. The concert followed performances in Dublin and Paris.

Barghouti was convicted in 2004 of involvement in three attacks that killed five people. His convictions also included attempted murder and participation in a terrorist organization.

According to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the victims were Greek monk Tsibouktsakis Germanus, murdered on June 12, 2001; Yoela Hen, murdered on January 15, 2002; and Eli Dahan, Yosef Habi and Salim Barakat, killed in a March 5, 2002, attack in Tel Aviv.

The ministry identifies Barghouti as a leader of the Second Intifada, the Palestinian terror campaign of suicide bombings and shootings against Israelis between 2000 and 2005. He headed Tanzim, an armed Fatah faction, and was a senior figure in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.

Macklemore also brought Barghouti’s son, Arab Barghouti, onstage. Arab, campaign director for the International Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti, addressed the audience about his father’s imprisonment and efforts to secure his release. Comparing the campaign to the international movement against apartheid in South Africa, he declared, “Palestine is heading for our South Africa moment.”

Macklemore’s public support for Barghouti follows years of controversy over antisemitic imagery and his anti-Israel activism.

In 2014, the rapper performed in Seattle wearing a large prosthetic nose, black wig and bushy fake beard, drawing widespread criticism that he had dressed as an antisemitic caricature of a Jewish man.

In September 2024, Macklemore told a cheering audience, “Yeah, f*ck America,” during Seattle’s “Palestine Will Live Forever” festival which was raising money for groups alleged to have ties to terror. He was subsequently dropped from the lineup of Las Vegas’ Neon City Festival.

More recently, Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour following controversy over his performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, including anti-Israel messaging and “Hind’s Hall,” his song supporting the violent Columbia University Gaza encampment.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft barred the rapper from performing at Gillette Stadium, citing his recent performances and a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.” Kraft said advocacy for Palestinians should not harm Jewish communities or minimize Hamas’ responsibility for the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians.

The London finale also featured Greta Thunberg, whose anti-Israel activism has repeatedly drawn accusations of antisemitism. StopAntisemitism named her its “Antisemite of the Week” in September 2024 following her participation in anti-Israel protests. In October 2025, she shared a post about alleged mistreatment of Palestinian prisoners that included a photograph of emaciated Israeli hostage Evyatar David, who had been held and starved by Hamas. His sister publicly rebuked Thunberg for using her brother’s suffering to illustrate allegations against Israel.

Thunberg also sailed on a Gaza flotilla and was booted out of the terror enclave by the Israel Defense Forces and deported.

The concert’s beneficiaries included UNRWA USA, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Gaza Soup Kitchen and HEAL Palestine, and other organizations previously scrutinized for alleged terrorist connections or support for violence.

UNRWA USA raises money for UNRWA, whose current and former employees have faced allegations of direct involvement in terrorism: in June, USAID’s inspector general referred 101 employees for possible suspension or debarment over alleged participation in the October 7 attacks or affiliation with Hamas’ military wing. South Carolina’s attorney general also demanded records from HEAL Palestine in an inquiry into nonprofits potentially linked to Hamas support, expressly stating that the inquiry did not constitute a finding against them.

As The Post Millennial previously reported, fellow tour beneficiary Middle East Children’s Alliance raised money for a Viva Palestina convoy whose participants met Hamas leaders, according to the ADL, which also documented statements by Palestinian Youth Movement members and affiliates supporting terrorism and the October 7 attack.