Shawn Mendes calls for ‘Free Palestine’ in first statement on Gaza

Shawn Mendes has addressed the situation in Gaza publicly for the first time, calling for an end to the violence and encouraging fans to donate to humanitarian organisations.

In a statement, calling for Free Palestine, posted to Instagram on Thursday (Nov. 12), the singer wrote, “The senseless killing in Gaza must stop. The children and families in Palestine have suffered for far too long, and they need our help.”

Mendes said he has been “working on educating myself and learning as much as I can to understand where and how I can make a difference.” He encouraged followers to contribute to groups including the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Watermelon Pictures and the Woven Futures Fund.

Mendes’ statement comes amid a string of high-profile moments involving musicians and the conflict, most notably the dispute surrounding Macklemore.

In September, Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour after making pro-Palestine comments during a show at MetLife Stadium. According to Rolling Stone, Messina Touring Group, which promotes the U.S. leg of the tour, said venues hosting upcoming concerts had told it they would not permit the shows to go ahead with Macklemore on the lineup.

Macklemore alleged that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, refused to let him perform at Sheeran’s shows there and encouraged other stadium owners to take the same position. Kraft said his decision followed Macklemore’s recent actions and material shared from the stage, which he said was hurtful to the Jewish community, while adding that the move was not meant to deny anyone the right to advocate for Palestinians. Kraft subsequently said he would commit $2 million to humanitarian organisations in the region after speaking with Sheeran.

Shortly after his removal, Macklemore announced a benefit tour, with proceeds going to organizations supporting Palestinians. He opened it on October 26 before a sold-out crowd at Dublin’s 3Arena, with Hozier, Kneecap and actor Liam Cunningham joining in person and video appearances from Mark Ruffalo, Cynthia Nixon and The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas. He also completed shows in London and Paris in late October.

Recently, Macklemore said nine major US. arenas declined to host the tour after initially indicating dates were available, among them Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, the Kia Forum and Climate Pledge Arena in his hometown of Seattle. “In over 20 years of touring, I’ve never experienced anything like this,” he wrote. An MSG Entertainment spokesperson told Billboard the company’s venues have extremely limited availability and that Macklemore is not an arena-level act.

Other artists have also weighed in. Lorde wore a handmade jacket bearing a pro-Palestinian message during her October 3 Austin City Limits performance, later sharing a photo of it on Instagram with Kraft’s handle written over the image. Days earlier, Zach Bryan wore a pro-Palestinian shirt while performing at Gillette Stadium, though neither Bryan nor Kraft linked the shirt to the dispute.