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SEATTLE - Seattle rapper Macklemore is calling on the public to participate in a nationwide protest by not going to work, not going to school and not going shopping Friday to protest actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
DUBLIN, IRELAND - JUNE 04: Macklemore performs at St Anne's Park on June 04, 2025 in Dublin, Dublin. (Photo by Kieran Frost/Redferns)
National Shutdown protest scheduled for Friday
What we know:
The "National Shutdown" protest is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 30. The four-time Grammy Award-winning artist shared the event on his Instagram account Tuesday, expressing his views on ICE operations in Minneapolis, as well as his stance on the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
What they're saying:
"Lately it’s become impossible to ignore. Gaza and Minneapolis are not separate stories," he wrote. "They operate through the same machinery that treats people as disposable and calls it order. Different places, the same architecture of harm. Property protected, always stolen. Profit prioritized. Violence justified."
For months, protesters have taken to the streets across the nation to demonstrate against the war in the Gaza Strip. More recently, anti-ICE protests have intensified following two deadly shootings in Minneapolis.
In his post, he suggested the most effective way to pressure political systems to change is not through outrage, but by withdrawing from systems that support the economy.
"Capitalism responds to pressure, not conscience," he wrote. "That’s the pressure point. Not outrage. Withdrawal."
What's next:
The nationwide protest comes as the federal government faces the possibility of its own shutdown. The Senate is approaching a critical vote, with many Democrats willing to upend Friday's government funding deadline to target the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The funding plan had already been negotiated, and re-negotiating puts the deadline in jeopardy and could lead to a partial government shutdown.
What we don't know:
The "National Shutdown" protest website was functioning at around Noon PT on Wednesday, but as of publication, the site appeared to be down.
WA residents' constitutional rights explained amid ICE enforcement and protests
A UW law professor explains what Washingtonians need to know about their constitutional rights during protests and federal actions.
The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle and an Instagram post by Macklemore.
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