Hozier calls for ‘ceasefire in the Middle East' ahead of headlining Outside Lands

San Francisco Chronicle​

23-06-2025

Hozier is making his rounds on the festival circuit ahead of his headlining Outside Lands set in August and is using his platform to advocate for Palestine.
The Irish singer, who is scheduled to perform at the San Francisco music festival in Golden Gate Park, spent nearly five minutes during Summerfest in Milwaukee to call for 'a cease-fire in the Middle East.'
'Peace and safety and security for everybody in that region means a Palestine that's free from occupation,' he said midway through his performance on Friday, June 20. 'It means a Palestine that's free to move towards self-determination and statehood.'
The 'Take Me to Church' singer drew a parallel to the Irish civil rights movement that primarily took place in Northern Ireland during the late 1960s and early '70s.
He went on to emphasize that support for Palestine doesn't inherently lead to antisemitism.
'The way that we would show up for our brothers or our sisters … we can do that for people in Palestine,' he said. 'We can also reject the kind of divisionism that would turn us against our Jewish neighbors, that drive us towards antisemitism, the old weaponized forms of racism and imperialism that would turn us against our Muslim brothers and sisters also.'
Earlier this month, during a set at New York's Governors Ball Music Festival, he honored musicians who, like Nina Simone, have fought for political change through their work by flashing their names on-screen while performing 'Nina Cried Power.' Palestinian singer Nemahsis, Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap and American rapper Macklemore were among the artists he highlighted.