Singer Lorde Renews Pro-Palestinian Stance at Festival
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Singer Lorde displayed a "FREE PALESTINE!!!!!!" message on a jacket during her performance at the Austin City Limits festival on October 3. She later tagged a fan account of Robert Kraft on social media, whose name was recently linked to Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour over pro-Palestinian statements. This marks Lorde's second public pro-Palestinian message, following a similar incident last year. The timing of her statement coincides with upcoming memorials for the October 7th attacks.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Singer Lorde displayed a "FREE PALESTINE!!!!!!" message on her jacket at the Austin City Limits festival.
- Lorde tagged a fan account of Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, on social media.
- Kraft was previously involved in Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour for pro-Palestinian activism.
- This is Lorde's second public pro-Palestinian statement, following one last year in New York.
- Lorde had previously canceled a concert in Israel due to boycott pressure.
- The message comes near the three-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks.
Singer Lorde again expressed a pro-Palestinian message during a performance at the Austin City Limits festival on Saturday, October 3. She wore a white jacket with handwritten messages, prominently featuring "FREE PALESTINE!!!!!!" on the lower part. This follows a similar political statement made a year prior.
Following the festival, Lorde posted a picture of the jacket on her Instagram story, tagging @mr.robertkraft. According to Billboard, this was likely a fan account, not the verified account of the owner of Gillette Stadium. However, the tag coincided with Kraft's involvement in a controversy surrounding Macklemore and Ed Sheeran.
Macklemore, who opened for Sheeran on tour, had previously called for "Free Palestine" from the stage and shown footage from the Gaza war, leading to his removal from the tour. Billboard reported that Kraft had also intervened with other stadium owners to prevent Sheeran from continuing to perform with Macklemore.
Kraft had stated that his actions were not meant to diminish Palestinian suffering but argued that such activism should not come at the expense of the Jewish community. Lorde's previous pro-Palestinian statement occurred nearly a year earlier during a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York on Yom Kippur, which also drew attention in Israel. She had previously canceled a planned performance in Israel due to boycott calls.
The current message comes shortly before the three-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks in Israel, a period marked by memorial events that bring the day back into public discourse.