Brian Eno has announced a benefit concert to fight the genocide happening in Palestine by raising relief funds and awareness. "When dozens of non-partisan organisations like Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders describe it as genocide, the moral line is clear. We can't remain silent," he wrote in an Instagram post. The event he's helping organize is called Together For Palestine and will take place on Sept. 17 at Wembley Arena in London.
"I've had the good fortune to work with some of the world's most remarkable artists for over 50 years. But one of my biggest regrets is that during that time so many of us have remained silent about Palestine," he added.
"Often that silence has come from fear -- real fear -- that speaking out could provoke a backlash, close doors or end a career. But that's now changing -- partly because some artists and activists have lit the path, but mostly because the truth of what's going on has become impossible to ignore. What we are witnessing in Gaza isn't a mystery, and neither is it a blur of competing narratives making it 'hard to understand.'"
In the rest of his post, he continued:
"My sincere belief is that this evening can become a moment of courage where artists come together to speak the truth in their hearts -- which is what we trust artists to do.
Whether on stage or by video from around the world, this is a chance for us to stand together and say: this can't continue.
Together we can raise millions in urgently needed aid for families in Gaza. Every penny donated will go to Palestinian partners through Choose Love, a UK charity supporting local humanitarians in conflict zones.
But this is about more than just money. It's about sending a message of love and solidarity to the people of Palestine that they haven't been forgotten.
We see them, we hear them, and though we may be far away, we're deeply connected -- as we are to all humanity.
Please join us on 17th September. Together, for Palestine.
- Brian Eno
The announcement for Together For Palestine comes on the same day that a lengthy profile on Eno was published at GQ. In it, Grayson Haver Currin spends time with musician-activist, witnessing Eno's massive ever-expanding archive built by software engineer Peter Chilvers, housing everything he's made since 1990. The profile mostly gets into Eno's stance on demystifying his past, and focusing on the work he's continuously focused on -- whether with younger musicians or his activism.
The interview goes in depth about Eno's education on Palestinian history and its colonization after World War II. "I started out being a very strong supporter of Israel, which I saw as being this socialistic experiment in building a new state,” he said. “It took me about 45 years to realize that there were other people there as well, that it wasn’t a land with no people for a people with no land.”
He talks about his first visit to Israel in 2011, and a subsequent visit to the West Bank in 2013 where he witnessed the cruel mistreatment of an elderly Palestinian man. He, also, talks about how he redirected the money he makes from Microsoft -- after the company revealed they gave access of their cloud and AI services to Israel’s Ministry of Defense following October 7" -- towards three nonprofits and coalitions supporting Palestine or peace, including Stop the War and medical services. It's a great read that focuses on Eno as an artist that learns, adjusts, takes action, and keeps asking the true innovator question of 'what else can I do?'
Register for Together For Palestine here and follow them here.
Together For Palestine is happening on 9/17 at OVO Arena Wembley.
