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Macklemore accuses Israel at the Deichbrand festival: Scandalutsit!
US rapper Macklemore criticizes Israel at the Deichbrand festival. Lower Saxony's anti-Semitism commissioner expresses sharp criticism.
Macklemore accuses Israel at the Deichbrand festival: Scandalutsit!
At the Deichbrand Festival, which took place on July 21, 2025 in northern Germany, the performance of US rapper Macklemore caused wild discussions. In a controversial statement during his set, he accused Israel of genocide and was critical of the Gaza conflict. The reactions didn't take long to arrive either: Lower Saxony's anti-Semitism commissioner Gerhard Wegner made clear statements about Macklemore's statements, which he described as anti-Semitic. Wegner also called on the organizers to think critically about the issue and to do educational work. NDR reports this in the program “Hello Lower Saxony”, which is directed by Thorsten Hapke.
Amid an audience displaying both Israel and Palestine flags, Macklemore had his fans chant the slogan “Free Palestine.” He described the situation in Gaza as deliberate starvation and surveillance, but he failed to mention the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 people died on October 7, 2023. The Central Council of Jews in Germany did not leave this uncommented and accused Macklemore of anti-Semitism while advising against attending the festival. This is collected in the article on Tagesschau, which shows the background and reactions to Macklemore's appearance.
Reactions and other topics
The reactions to Macklemore's performance show how explosive the topic of the Middle East conflict continues to be. Wegner explained that it is important to understand the historical context instead of speaking in an undifferentiated manner. The festival management also announced an anti-Semitism concept and training courses to avoid such incidents in the future.
In addition to the rapper's appearance, the NDR program also reported on other relevant topics. Villages in the area are resisting the dismantling of ATMs, which is leading to a dispute with the local infrastructure. There were also reports of an arson at Germany's largest wooden church in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, which caused horror in the region. The topic of citizen participation in Oldenburg, where beer mats are creatively incorporated into the discussion, was also mentioned. The editorial managers Eckhardt Reimann and production manager Wolfgang Feist ensured that all of these topics were included in the program, which illustrates the diversity of the reporting.
Overall, the debate about Macklemore and his appearance at the Deichbrand Festival shows how the political currents and the conflict in the Middle East also concern society in northern Germany. The heated discussion about the limits of freedom of expression and how to deal with anti-Semitic statements remains a central issue.
Read more about the appearance and the reactions in the NDR program [Hallo Niedersachsen](https://www.ndr.de/ Fernsehenen/versanden/hallo_niedersachsen/Hallo-Niedersachsen,versand1552908.html) and at Tagesschau.