‘Empathy should not be this hard’ – Florence Pugh speaks up for Palestine

Florence Pugh was joined by Benedict Cumberbatch, Ruth Negga, Riz Ahmed, and more at Together for Palestine

The concert fundraiser was held at London’s Wembley Arena on September 17th.

Artists from TV, film, music, and the theatre industries gathered for the fundraiser in London, including Florence Pugh.

Pugh delivered a passionate speech about the importance of using your voice to push our governments to act.

"I’m gonna keep it short and simple. It has been such a special evening to be a part of it, to witness it. Thank you for showing up. A small note: silence in the face of such suffering is not neutrality. It is complicity," she added.

"Empathy should not be this hard, and it should have never been this hard. I’m just going to leave that with you. Enjoy the rest of your evening, pressure on the governments, and well done for being here.”

Gorillaz, King Krule, Brian Eno, PinkPantheress, Cat Burns, Bastille, James Blake, and more performed on the night.

Many activists and artists delivered moving speeches, including journalist Yara Eid, who delivered a speech on behalf of the 270 journalists killed in Gaza.

"As a Western journalist myself, I can tell you all this: the Palestinian journalists are the best of us. They are the best of us because they are not just documenting a war or a genocide; they are documenting their own annihilation, their own starvation. In real time. They have shown the world that you can’t bomb the truth away."

The Together for Palestine concert took place just days after the United Nations declared that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.