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Fans Walk Out of Hozier Concert in New York After Irish Singer Accuses Israel of ‘Genocide,’ Calls for ‘Free Palestine’
Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, better known as Hozier, is performing on the first day of the EstereoPicnic festival in Bogota, Colombia. Photo: Daniel Garzon Herazo via Reuters Connect
Some audience members at Hozier’s concert on Tuesday night in New York reportedly staged a walkout after the Irish singer commented on the Israel-Hamas war by accusing the Jewish state of committing “genocide.”
The “Take Me to Church” singer, whose real name is Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, made the remarks during a performance at Forest Hills Stadium, one of four consecutive sold-out shows at the venue, as part of a tour for his new album “Unreal Earth.” He performed at the stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday and will perform again on Friday and Saturday, becoming the first artist ever to play four consecutive sold-out shows at Forest Hills Stadium.
During the introduction to his song “Nina Cried Power” during his Tuesday night concert, the Grammy winner told the crowd: “We wouldn’t want to see anybody subjected to the kind of violence, indiscriminate bombing, that we are seeing on our TV screens. The kind of assault that Rafah’s facing and the genocidal violence that Rafah’s facing. And in the same way that people are showing up at the moment, saying, we would want to be represented to our democratic representation — we want to be represented in that compassion, and in that human witness and in that law.”
Israel began its military operation in Rafah early last month and has been targeting Hamas terrorists and compounds in the southern Gaza city. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel has been taking measures to minimize the risk of civilian casualties, which include evacuating one million Palestinians from Rafah and establishing a temporary refuge outside the Rafah corridor for Gazan civilians.
“And we wouldn’t want to see us, our tax dollars, enabling that kind of violence — enabling that kind of war,” added Hozier, according to videos from his speech that were shared on social media. “We wouldn’t want to see that for anybody, it doesn’t matter where you come from. Whether you are a Palestinian or you are an Israeli citizen. We want anybody to live in peace, security, and safety. And that would also mean seeing Palestine free from occupation, free to pursue meaningful self-determination and statehood.”
Hozier also applauded the anti-Israel protests taking place at colleges and universities around the US.
The Mirror reported that although the majority of the crowd at Tuesday night’s concert cheered on Hozier’s comments, other attendees who were upset by his remarks walked out before the show ended. Videos from social media show that Hozier made similar remarks during his concert on Wednesday night.
The “Too Sweet” singer has made pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel comments at his previous shows as well, again accusing Israel of “genocidal violence” and talking about the alleged “onslaught that Palestinians are facing in Rafah.”
Hozier’s native Ireland has been one of the harshest critics of Israel since the war began last October.
Last month, Spain, Norway, and Ireland officially recognized a Palestinian state. Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris has repeatedly condemned Israel’s military actions amid its war against Hamas terrorists.
The post Fans Walk Out of Hozier Concert in New York After Irish Singer Accuses Israel of ‘Genocide,’ Calls for ‘Free Palestine’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.