Macklemore speaks to MEE at the screening of 'The Encampments'
Middle East Eye spoke with Macklemore at the screening of The Encampments, a documentary he co-produced in partnership with Watermelons Pictures. Describing the film as a testament to the expanding solidarity movement for Palestine, Macklemore highlighted its significance in raising awareness and inspiring action.
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Middle East Eye
03-06-2025
- Middle East Eye
Hit TV show Andor spurs viewers to draw parallels to Israel's war on Gaza
Fans of the Star Wars prequel series Andor have taken to social media this week to draw comparisons between Israel's war on Gaza and the show's narratives of occupation, resistance, and authoritarian violence. Set as a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the Andor series traces the formation of the Rebel Alliance and Cassian Andor's role within it, focusing on the rise of resistance against the Galactic Empire. It provides context to the political and social conditions that shaped the early rebellion and expands on characters and events that influence the broader Star Wars narrative. Following the first season, which aired in late 2022, Andor viewers took to their social media accounts throughout the last season, drawing parallels between the show and Israel's war on Gaza. Specifically likening the Empire to Israel and the US, and the Palestinians to the people of Ghorman. Make no mistake, this shit is real. Right now. Just today, Israel announced the complete elimination of Gaza. Open your eyes to what this show represents. Real life genocide. If we don't engage with that then there is no purpose. So let the aid in and free Palestine. #Andor — Andres Cabrera (@SquadLeaderAce) May 7, 2025 In an opinion piece published back in April for The Guardian, film critic Radheyan Simonpillai detailed the similarities that were also echoed among viewers. 'In the new and final season of Andor, an occupied civilian population is massacred; their cries for help ignored by the Empire-run media, which instead paint the victims as terrorist threats to public safety. Meanwhile, the politicians who have enough backbone to speak out, and use the word 'genocide' to describe these aggressions, are met with violent suppression.' New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'Star Wars fans will be forced to reckon with how this story isn't about what happens 'a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away'. It's about what's unfolding right now in Gaza.' Just watched this series and kept saying it reminded me of Israel and Palestine. Especially the part where they demonize those people in collusion with the press to manufacture consent for their genocide / destruction of their planet. — Anna (@annaskiba16) June 2, 2025 Although it is not certain that Andors' creator Tony Gilroy had Gaza in mind when writing the second season, he did mention Palestine as an example of the history that informed the show in a 2022 Deadline interview. In addition, actors from the show, like Irish actress Denise Gough, who plays a villain in the series, have been vocal about their support for Palestine. 'Andor' actress: 'I refuse to stay silent on Gaza.' "We're being asked by Palestinian people to speak,' so those who don't speak out can't say 'I didn't know what to do' says Denise Gough. WATCH: — BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) May 31, 2025 A recent Reddit post, in which a social media user says they have 'never felt more on the side of the Palestinian cause', has brought the conversation on the parallels between the show and Gaza back into the limelight one month after the finale aired. 'It showed me the side of resistance we often grapple with, the side where resistance more often than not becomes an armed resistance when the peaceful part of resistance doesn't get you anywhere,' the post reads. 'When your land is taken forcibly, when your city is besieged, when your land, sea, and air borders are controlled by an occupying entity, and you are left with one choice, to fight back, even if the empire (Israel/US) is overwhelmingly stronger, more powerful, and better funded.' The person continued to write that although the story is fictional, it made them see that in 'fighting an empire, you do not get to choose the terms. You are forced into the shadows, pushed into impossible choices, and made to sacrifice lives so others might have a future'. 'Right now, in Gaza, people are making those same impossible choices. When your children are bombed to smithereens, starved to death, your hospitals destroyed, your homes flattened, and the world either watches in silence or arms your oppressor, resistance stops being about right or wrong. It becomes survival.' This brought about a flow of responses that agreed with the post's writer. 'There is a shot of Gorman with white buildings and a golden dome-like structure reminiscent of the dome of the Rock. I immediately thought of Palestine.' Others disagreed that there was a parallel between the armed resistance of Palestinians to that of Ghorman's Rebel Alliance. 'People comparing the rebellion to Hamas is definitely not what I thought I would see today yet here we are," one person responded. There are also those who argue that attempting to draw the parallel in the first place was futile. 'Human history doesn't have a narrative as simple as Andor and never will,' one person said. 'What happened on Oct 7th was unjust and horrifying and counterproductive. What is being done in response is unjust and horrifying and counter productive.' The Reddit post found its way to X, and one person posted a screenshot of the thread, joking that it would be the end of the series. nah, they're about to cancel this series — Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) June 1, 2025 While many joked that the show cannot be cancelled now that it's already done, others highlighted the irony of how the show was produced by Disney, which has historically aligned itself with being pro-Israel. "I still cant process that disney backed a show about resistance while staying silent on the real thing happening in Gaza," one social media user wrote on X. "Ironic doesnt even cover it."
Middle East Eye
02-06-2025
- Middle East Eye
‘Life imitates art': Game of Thrones star, whose character breaks siege, sets sail for Gaza
Life has imitated art, one social media user said, as Game of Thrones star Liam Cunningham set sail on a vessel attempting to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip. The Irish actor joined 11 other activists and public figures on the ship Madleen, which is expected to take seven days to reach the Palestinian enclave. The 12-person Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) crew set off from Catania in Sicily on Sunday, carrying supplies of fruit juices, milk, rice, tinned food and protein bars for starving Palestinians. Users on social media were quick to note that by taking part, Cunningham was doing something reminiscent of Davos Seaworth, his character on the hit fantasy drama series Game of Thrones. 'He's 'smuggling' food across Israel's blockade to help starving children, just like Davos saved everyone at the Siege of Storm's End,' wrote journalist Andrew Fishman. The character Davos is born in a poor slum in the fictional city of King's Landing; a life which he escapes by becoming a sailor. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters At sea, Davos becomes known for aiding the forces of the character Stannis Baratheon, who were besieged at Storm's End castle during a war known as "Robert's Rebellion". Davos smuggled onions and other foodstuffs into the castle, which allowed Stannis' forces to survive until the end of the war. The forces would go on to help Stannis' brother Robert overthrow the long-standing Targaryen dynasty. Cunningham's character was later bestowed with a knighthood and land for his services, and took up the surname 'Seaworth' as a reference to his past. The character was disparagingly known also as the 'onion knight' - a nickname he later embraced, in honour of his siege-breaking activities. He later would sew an onion onto his ship's sail. 'Liam Cunningham as a smuggler bringing food to a besieged population, life imitates art,' a user wrote on X. Cunningham 'indifferent' to criticism Cunningham has said that he was 'indifferent to any criticisms' levelled at him over his solidarity with Palestinains. "I'm in my sixties. Like a lot of people, I've paid off my mortgage. I own my car, I don't have any bills,' he told Ireland's RTE Radio 1 last week, ahead of Madleen setting sail. "I do not have an iota of interest in any consequences that will come because of this. I have to be able to look at my grandkids when they hit their teens and say to me, 'What did you do during this?'' "I do not want to be one of those people that said, 'I didn't do anything.' In World War Two, there was an excuse that you didn't know what was going on with the Holocaust - an obscene event that was going on - there was an excuse to say, 'I didn't know.' "Your only answer to your grandkids, or your kids, when they grow up is, 'I didn't care.'" Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French-Palestinian politician Rima Hassan are also among the 12-person crew of Madleen. In May, another FFC-organised vessel, known as Conscience, failed to continue its voyage towards Gaza after being hit by two Israeli drones in international waters near Malta. A number of American and Israeli commentators criticised Thunberg and the other activists, apparently making threats against their safety. US Senator Lindsey Graham posted an article on the flotilla from Times of Israel and wrote on X: "Hope Greta and her friends can swim!" Israeli-based international human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky described Thunberg as a "little Jihadi" and said it would be "so sad if something were to happen to her flotilla". He later deleted the post. FFC says its goal is to break Israel's 18-year land, sea and air blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has deprived Palestinians of their rights to health, safety and freedom of movement. It does that through education about the blockade, publicising the complicity of other governments in enabling it, and direct action to support Palestinians in their efforts to break the siege. It says that it is governed by the principles of non-violent resistance. It first came together in 2010, after Israeli forces boarded a Freedom Flotilla mission in May that year and killed 1o activists. In the last 15 years, Israeli troops have frequently intercepted and seized vessels organised by activists seeking to break the siege on the Palestinian enclave.
Middle East Eye
02-06-2025
- Middle East Eye
Greta Thunberg, Guy Pearce, Susan Sarandon join activists sailing from Italy to Gaza to break Israeli siege
A ship operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Sunday set off from Sicily to the Gaza Strip carrying "symbolic" aid to break the Israeli siege on the Palestinian enclave, and a group including actors Guy Pearce and Liam Cunningham. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was among the 12-person crew of the Madleen, which is expected to take seven days to reach Gaza. US actor Susan Sarandon, UK actors Khalid Abdalla, Juliet Stevenson and Maxine Peake, British musician Brian Eno, US-Palestinian writer Susan Abulhawa, and Franco-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan were among those on board. Journalist Andrea Legni reported from aboard the ship that they were carrying "fruit juices, milk, rice, tinned food and protein bars donated by hundreds of Catania residents". The barrels of relief were described by the organisers as "limited amounts, though symbolic". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'We are doing this because no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying, because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity,' Thunberg told reporters at a news conference in the port of Catania. Another Freedom Flotilla vessel, the Conscience, failed to continue its voyage in early May after being hit by two drones just outside Maltese waters. "No matter how dangerous this mission is, it is nowhere near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the lives being genocised,' said Thunberg. 6 français sont à bord de la #FreedomFlotilla ✌️ — Rima Hassan (@RimaHas) June 2, 2025 A number of American and Israeli commentators criticised Thunberg and the other activists, apparently making threats against their safety. US Senator Lindsey Graham posted an article on the flotilla from Times of Israel and wrote on X: "Hope Greta and her friends can swim!" Israeli-based international human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky described Thunberg as a "little Jihadi" and said it would be "so sad if something were to happen to her flotilla". He later deleted the post. Madleen, named after a Palestinian fisher, is set to sail today to Gaza to help break the aid blockade imposed by the Israeli army. Stressing its peaceful intentions and nature, the Flotilla announced itself clear of any forms of weaponry. On board, the team includes: Alana… — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 1, 2025 The Palestinian health ministry said on Saturday that at least 4,149 people had been killed in the territory since Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March, taking the war's overall toll to more than 54,418. After an 11-week total ban on the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Israel on 19 May allowed limited UN aid deliveries and a US-backed aid distribution scheme that has been rejected by the UN as discriminatory and unworkable. On Sunday, Israeli forces killed at least 32 people attempting to reach aid via the new scheme in Gaza, while wounding scores more. According to eyewitnesses and local officials, Israeli troops opened fire directly on civilians gathered at two US-Israeli food distribution points in Rafah and central Gaza. The health ministry accused Israel of using the new aid mechanism as a 'trap for mass killings' and a tool for 'the forced displacement of Gaza's population'.
