An estimated 60,000 people gathered in solidarity at the Washington Monument on Saturday Oct. 24, for a free Turnstile benefit concert that raised money for humanitarian efforts in Palestine, Lebanon and Sudan.
Turnstile, a Baltimore-based hardcore punk band, is widely regarded as one of the genre’s biggest names.
Before they took the stage, Human Concern International global director Hassan Wadi announced that the fundraiser had already surpassed $150,000. In the days since the concert, that number has risen to $270,000. Concert attendees and supporters included activists, families, hardcore punk fans and curious passersby joined together against war and violence.
“We’re here to gather around music, to celebrate humanity, but also to fight for it,” frontman Brendan Yates said to the crowd. “This show is for our brothers and sisters in Gaza, in Sudan, in Lebanon; raising money for Human Concern International and all the brave work that they do.”
The band opened its set with “BIRDS,” followed by “Real Thing” and “ENDLESS,” kicking off a roughly 75-minute set to conclude the second leg of their Never Enough tour. The crowd filled the grounds around the Washington Monument, with fans gathering near the stage and farther back across the lawn. In front of the stage, mosh pits formed and crowd surfers passed overhead, while farther back, families and friends danced leisurely in the grass.
For many attendees, the concert offered a way to participate in advocacy beyond traditional protests and rallies.
“Events like this are really good to bring in a lot of different people who might not come out to a protest or a rally, but they’ll come for a concert,” Anam Hussain, a School of International Studies alum from the Class of 2025, said. “And it’s important for us to build that community and become a stronger unified front in combating Zionism in D.C. and fighting for the liberation of Palestine.”
Hussain also said artists have to take public positions on political issues. The show comes as artists and their audiences increasingly confront the role of music in political movements, with rapper Macklemore being removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour after he called for a “Free Palestine” during his set. He has since launched his own “Free Palestine” tour, which sold out before openers were even announced, reflecting a global shift in support for Palestine.
“I think it’s important for us to continue showing that people en masse are standing with Palestine, or standing with Lebanon, or standing with Sudan,” Hussain said. “And people don’t want to support artists that are okay being neutral, or artists who are okay normalizing Zionism or genocide.”
Audrey Schreiber, who graduated from American University’s School of Communications in 2016, watched the concert from the lawn of the Washington Monument. She said celebrities who stay silent out of fear of losing fans — and the revenue that comes with them — have little excuse for staying silent, given their wealth and financial security. She described requests to speak out about ongoing violence as “asking the bare minimum of these artists.”
“Ed Sheeran will always be okay,” she said. “Macklemore will always be okay. I’m sure Turnstile will probably always be okay. But the people that won’t be okay are the people right now in Palestine that are suffering under occupation, that are suffering a genocide, and to not stand with them when it’s a little bit difficult is unforgivable.”
In Gaza, Israeli attacks have continued despite an October 2025 ceasefire, leaving Palestinians to face widespread displacement, acute famine and a lack of shelter and medical supplies. An October 2026 United Nations commission of inquiry has found Israel guilty of crimes against humanity, including extermination, torture and rape, in the West Bank, and continuing “to commit genocide” in Gaza. Since October 2023, the United States has continued to provide Israel with billions of dollars in military aid and weapons, including $3.3 billion in annual military financing and additional aid approved by Congress.
In Lebanon, Israel’s military occupation has killed nearly 9,000 civilians, injured nearly 30,600 and displaced 360,000.
Sudan’s civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has resulted in a health and humanitarian crisis that a U.N. fact-finding mission describes as indicative of genocide, and reported that networks linked to the United Arab Emirates played a significant role in supplying weapons and other military support to the RSF. While the UAE has vehemently denied providing military support to the RSF, a Biden administration briefing allegedly confirmed the UAE’s involvement. The U.S. continues to maintain a close relationship with the UAE.
“Our tax dollars are being used to fund the genocide that’s expanded into Palestine and Lebanon. The U.S. also collaborates with the UAE to continue genocide in Sudan,” Hussain said. “It’s our duty and our responsibility to be here and fundraise for the people on the ground.”
Schreiber added that artists with a large platform have a responsibility to advocate for those who are being oppressed.
“I don’t understand artists who aren’t willing to be brave,” she said. “Because I think the process of creating art, the ability to call yourself an artist, you should only be able to do that if you’re willing to stand on the side of the oppressed and people that have been besieged by genocide.”
Dylan Rasnick, watching with Schreiber and also a 2016 School of International Service alum, added that artists should use their platforms to introduce audiences to perspectives they might not otherwise encounter.
“You should approach it in the same way as to why you’re making art,” Rasnick said. “To share it, to challenge beliefs, to share your beliefs, to uplift beliefs, to bring other people into different consciousness.”
Rasnick said that artists should prioritize their principles over potential financial losses. He also emphasized the importance of recognizing artists continuing to create work amid war and violence.
“There are obviously artists in Palestine, artists in Lebanon, artists in Iran, so like they are not stopping because of the genocide or the wars that we’ve started in their countries,” Rasnick said. “There are still people in those countries who want to create art, and how beautiful would it be for them to see Western artists supporting that as opposed to being afraid to say anything?”
The alumni said their criticism of institutions’ responses to Palestine extended to American University as well. Schreiber described the University’s threats to arrest and remove students in Students for Justice in Palestine who engaged in a vigil on Oct. 7, 2024 as a silencing of Palestinian and anti-Zionist voices.
“I think it’s despicable how they came down on their students that protested for Palestine in 2024,” she said. “I think it’s despicable how they’ve consistently silenced voices from Palestine and for people who are anti-Zionist, I think that is really disappointing.”
She said she would not continue donating to the University until it changed its stance on Palestine.
“As an alumni of American University, and someone who has donated … I will not donate until they have a better stance on Palestine and on other oppressed peoples of the world,” she said.
Rasnick also criticized the University’s administration, saying its actions in banning SJP and refusing to divest from Israel, despite students repeatedly voting for divestment, reflects a pattern of prioritizing financial interests over the values of its students.
In a statement to The Eagle, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Katya Popova said SJP’s suspension followed a finding that the organization violated the University’s harassment policy after an investigation through the University’s Equity and Title IX processes and an external review. The decision “was not based on the views of the group or its members,” Popova said.
She reiterated the University’s longstanding opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, saying it threatens “academic freedom and the free and respectful exchange of ideas.” She added that student government resolutions calling for divestment are non-binding and do not represent the University’s position.
The University adopted a formal framework for considering divestment requests in 2025, Popova said. Written requests can be submitted by students, faculty, staff and alumni to the Office of Finance and Treasurer and are evaluated based on the university’s fiduciary responsibilities and the long-term interests of its endowment.
“It’s unfortunate to see that the administration is still doing the same things that they’ve done since 10 years ago when we were at AU,” Rasnick said. “It’s unfortunate to see that they continue to side on the side of money, despite marketing themselves as a very different kind of institution.”
As the show came to a close, Turnstile’s Yates waved a Palestinian flag and thanked the crowd for making the benefit possible.
“This is the most beautiful thing I've ever been a part of,” Yates said. “Thank you all so much for being here.”
This article was edited by EK Thomas, Cara Halford and Gabrielle McNamee. Copy editing by Avery Grossman, Abigail Jose, Mattie Lupo and Arin Burrell. Fact-checking by Josie Burnette.
