Brian Eno is MORE DARK THAN SHARK

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The Glasgow Guardian FEBRUARY 5, 2026 - by Hira Chaudhry

TOGETHER FOR PALESTINE: PERFORMANCE ACTIVISM OR A PROSPECT OF HOPE AND PEACE?

A number of artists, activists and actors came together to raise awareness about the on-going humanitarian war in Palestine, raising £1.5million for charity.

Brian Eno, an English musician, producer and artist decided he was going to organize a benefit concert, Together For Palestine, on September 17, 2025 to raise awareness and funds for Palestinians affected by the war. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was met with mixed opinions and backlash. Eno was met with a lot of resistance and stigmatisation, citing that to speak about the Palestinian cause was to "lose brand deals, endorsements and money". After eighteen months of hard work and rejection, Wembley agreed to host the concert, the exact same venue that hosted the Mandela birthday concert thirty-seven years ago on June 11, 1988. It was after the Mandela concert that around 70% of British people believed Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid activist and former President of South Africa was wrongly imprisoned and Mandela became a household name. Two years later, he was released from his twenty-eight-year jail sentence and later returned to Wembley, thanking everyone for standing up for his unjust imprisonment. The Mandela Concert was a beautiful display of how community and unity can sometimes bring a mass global change.

Standing up for Palestine in times of injustice demands us not to be ignorant nor desensitised, but to be brave in our action of solidarity, not as a performance but as a pillar of peace in times of a mass-scale genocide. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in two years, 125 hospitals damaged and presently, due to ongoing military restrictions that have blocked aid and imposed food distributions, 459 people have died due to starvation. Brian Eno would not intend to forget the power of solidarity and community, so he decided to use art, music and storytelling to honour the loss of human life and create a legacy of change. However, many question if Together For Palestine was a wake-up call or, just a poor attempt at a publicity stunt for rich, bored celebrities.

Sixty-nine artists, speakers and activists appeared at the OVO Arena in Wembley. Notable celebrities ranging from Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan to Benedict Cumberbatch. TV personality Laura Whitmore elegantly pointed out that: "it's not about sides; it's about basic humanity". Furthermore, Nicola Coughlan delivered a speech in which she criticised artists "who are saying nothing" about the grave violation of human rights in Gaza. Often, many are in fear of the industry doors that will close for them if they speak up about Palestine. An example of this is Melissa Barrera, an actress who was fired from the Scream horror film for sharing posts on her Instagram that called for a ceasefire. Is it right that people don't feel safe expressing our opinion without the fear of being cancelled and losing job opportunities? But rightfully so, many Jewish people were afraid that this concert could be misconstrued and lead to the rise of antisemitism rather than anti-Zionism. Evidencing these fears, there has been a surge in antisemitic incidents in the UK since October 7, with The Community Security Trust reporting 5583 antisemitic incidents between October 7, 2023 and September 2024 - the highest recorded since 1984. In times of war, we must combat far-right ideologies and put our differences aside. When 78-year-old holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos took the stage, he moved the audience to tears as he drew parallels between his family's own experience and the Palestinians, serving as a reminder that despite immense tragedy and loss, there is hope we can put our differences aside and unite.

There was a fear that Palestine for Wembley would only be about celebrities and not pay respect to Palestinians or their creatives. However, Palestinian journalist Yara Eid, condemned the death of over 270 journalists, honouring their legacy on a screen. Palestinian artist Malak Matar displayed her art as a canvas for trauma, using her art to intricately and subtly convey the suffering of the Palestinians. Pianist and jazz artist Faraj Suleiman made another small slice of history by playing a sombre yet hopeful concert to his largest audience of 12,500 people.

With £1.5million raised from ticket sales and donations amidst one of the UK's largest cultural fundraising events for Palestine, the Together for Palestine concert was a success. But it's more than the money. We only have to hope that a concert will not fall on deaf ears, especially as polls in Britain have found that the majority of the population support a ceasefire. To halt this war demands boycott, sanction and divestments and a call to our leaders to stop perpetrating violence in exchange for innocent lives. Nevertheless, this concert was a call for community and legacy for our Palestinians who have been affected by war. It was a symbol of resistance and revolution, in the hope that one day there may be a possibility of peace and Palestinians can return home and rebuild.