Pulp and Lucy Dacus among thousands of musicians to have signed letter for Gaza ceasefire

Pulp, Lucy Dacus, Sleater-Kinney and more are among the thousands of musicians who have signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Over 4000 artists have come together to sign a letter under the collective Musicians for Palestine, demanding a ceasefire as the war in Israel and Gaza continues. At the time of writing, over 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. In Israel, the death toll over the same period stands at more than 1,400 (per Al Jazeera).

“We speak out together in solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom, justice and equal rights,” reads the letter. “We uphold the freedom of grassroots activists and artists worldwide to advocate and engage in peaceful means to achieve accountability, to fight injustice, and to pursue freedom, a just peace, and dignity.”

It continued: “Today, we demand an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid in Gaza, and an end to the siege. The day after, our vision of a just and peaceful future for all must be our most urgent task. We urge everyone who shares that vision to join us.”

Other artists who have signed the open letter include Bikini Kill, Kid Cudi, Kali Uchis, Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Brian Eno, Arooj Aftab, Blonde Redhead, Kehlani, Denzel Curry, Pink Siifu, Mica Levi, L’Rain, Laurel Halo, Deerhoof, Beth Ditto, the Knife’s Olof Dreijer, Mykki Blanco, the Blessed Madonna, Youth Lagoon, Fucked Up, Mogwai, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Kode9, Vijay Iyer, A Place To Bury Strangers, Nicolás Jaar, Helado Negro, Raffi, KeiyaA, Mandy Indiana and many more.

This letter is the latest call for a cease-fire from the world of entertainment. Earlier this month, The Peace and Justice Project, which was founded by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, launched its #MusicForACeasefire open letter from artists, musicians and performers “calling for an end to the siege of Gaza” on November 10.

The letter, which has also been signed by artists including Enter Shikari, The Last Dinner Party, Architects, English Teacher, The Blessed Madonna and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, calls “for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the bombardment of Palestine that has already taken the lives of over 10,000 innocent civilians, aid workers and journalists.”

Sam Fender, The Libertines, and Fontaines D.C. were the latest musicians to sign the Peace and Justice Project’s open letter last week.

Many artists have spoken out about the conflict in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Macklemore delivered a speech at a pro-Palestine rally calling the conflict a “genocide”, while Dua Lipa, Killer Mike, Michael Stipe and more wrote an open letter to President Biden, demanding “an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost”.

Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Mark Hamill and Jamie Lee Curtis were among 700 Hollywood figures who signed an open letter voicing their support for Israel, while Selena Gomez’s makeup company, Rare Beauty, announced that it will be donating funds to the relief efforts in Gaza. Over 2,000 names from the arts world, including Tilda Swinton, Massive Attack‘s Robert Del Naja and Miriam Margoyles, signed an open letter calling for ceasefire.

Similarly, Madonna addressed the situation on stage at The O2.

Benefits also shared a powerful statement regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as well as Armistice Day last Friday (November 10).

Tom Morello recently said that there is “no room for anti-Semitism” when criticising “horrific war crimes in Gaza”.

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