Anti-Semitism or protest? Why Macklemore should suddenly be canceled at the Gurtenfestival
US rapper Macklemore is due to perform at the Gurtenfestival this summer. But not everyone agrees. The reason is two of his songs about the war in Gaza.
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- US rapper Macklemore is to perform at the Gurtenfestival in Bern in July. But not everyone agrees.
- The reason: He is accused of making anti-Semitic statements in two of his songs.
- This week, the festival management and Migros, the main sponsor, also received an open letter.
What happened?
US rapper Macklemore is due to perform at the Gurtenfestival in Bern on July 16, 2025 - but his appearance is causing criticism. The reason: the 41-year-old is accused of making anti-Semitic statements in individual songs.
The festival management and Migros, the main sponsor, have received an open letter. In it, 40 signatories from all over Switzerland - including politicians such as Zurich SP Councillor of States Daniel Jositsch - have called for Macklemore's involvement to be reconsidered.
But what kind of statements does the criticism actually refer to?
Which songs are involved?
Specifically, it is about the two songs "Hind's Hall" and "F*cked up". Both songs deal with the Gaza conflict. Macklemore takes the side of the Palestinians and draws attention to the current situation. He donates the proceeds generated by the two songs to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA).
"Hind's Hall" was released in May 2024, in which the rapper expresses his support for the pro-Palestinian protests at US universities against the war in Gaza.
Demonstrators called on their universities to cut their ties with Israeli institutions due to Israel's actions in the Gaza war. More than 2,300 students were arrested. Many of them were threatened with expulsion and a house ban.
Protests at Columbia University were prominent. There, activists occupied Hamilton Hall and renamed the building "Hind's Hall" in honor of Hind Rajab , a six-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza City along with her relatives and paramedics who came to her aid.
In "Hind's Hall", Macklemore raps about Israel as a colonial power. He criticizes US financial aid to Israel and describes Israeli policy towards the Palestinians as apartheid and genocide. He condemns donations from pro-Israeli lobby groups to US politicians and accuses President Biden of being complicit in the suffering in Gaza, which is why he does not want to vote for him in 2024. The rapper calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, criticizes the silence of the music industry and addresses white supremacy and the ban on TikTok. He also distinguishes between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 is not mentioned.
Incidentally, Hind's Hall 2 was released a few months later, with Macklemore rapping about the situation in Palestine together with anees, MC Abdul and Amer Zahr. However, this song hardly seems to be addressed in the debate.
The second song is called "fucked up". It was released in February 2025, in which the rapper criticizes capitalism, social inequality and US policy in the Gaza conflict. He denounces billionaires and resource monopolies, shows destroyed Gaza neighborhoods in the video and addresses media censorship.
However, one scene in the music video is particularly controversial. The juxtaposition of a Jewish boy from the Warsaw ghetto with a child from Gaza sparked accusations of Holocaust relativization.
Last week, the Federation of Jewish Communities categorized the Holocaust comparison as anti-Semitic . However, the association sees the other criticized statements as merely "very polemical".
What does the Gurtenfestival say?
Cancellation is out of the question for those responsible for the Gurten Festival, as they told the "Berner Zeitung" on request.
They generally condemn racism, discrimination and anti-Semitism. However, the organizers take the view that criticism of Israel's policies is not anti-Semitic per se. They refer to the Holocaust definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the newspaper continues. In addition, Macklemore regularly advocates respect for all religions and ethnicities.
Philip Bessermann, Managing Director of the Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism, strongly disagrees with this assessment. He tellsBlickthat criticism of Israel is legitimate, but "it seems to me that Macklemore has lost all sense of proportion. Anyone who is so committed to Palestine should know a limit before legitimate criticism turns into hatred. He has now crossed that line."
Bessermann particularly criticizes the fact that Jewish voices pointing out threats are ignored. This is evidence of a "conscious or unconscious blindness to anti-Semitic realities".
Migros does not wish to comment on this.
What does Macklemore say?
Macklemore has not yet commented on the accusations of anti-Semitism.
What is the situation abroad?
It's not just in Switzerland that critical voices are expressing their concerns; festival organizers in Germany are also coming under pressure to cancel the rapper.
For example at the Deichbrand Festival. The German Central Council of Jews warns that the festival is not safe for Jews. The rapper trivializes the Holocaust and links his racist stance with "crude criticism of Israel" while concealing the cause of the war in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the "Nordsee Zeitung".
