Maclemore excluded from Ed Sheeran's US tour after pro-Palestinian remarks - Sarmad
US rapper Macklemore announced on Monday that he was removed from pop star Ed Sheeran’s US tour following his pro-Palestinian comments and his chanting of “Free Palestine” during a concert held on September 4 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Macklemore wrote on Instagram that he and Sheeran had “difficult conversations over the past week.”
Messina Touring Group, the promoter for the US leg of Sheeran’s “+–=÷x Tour,” told Rolling Stone that owners of venues hosting upcoming shows on the US tour informed organizers they would not allow any concert featuring Macklemore on the lineup.
The group stated, “After discussions with all parties involved, Macklemore will not participate in the remaining shows on the tour.” Sheeran has not yet issued any comment.
Macklemore has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause and a critic of Israel’s attack on Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank.
In 2024, Macklemore released “Hind’s Hall,” a protest song in solidarity with pro-Palestinian demonstrators and in memory of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
The Israeli military announced last month that it had opened a criminal investigation into her death, although human rights organizations say such investigations rarely result in convictions.
Earlier this month, Macklemore said, “A big part of the reason I embarked on this tour in the first place was to be able to stand in stadiums like these and say two words that are very dear to my heart: Free Palestine.”
He added during the concert, “I want those two words to be loud and clear, so that people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them.”
Variety reported that the Grammy-winning Macklemore was listed on the lineup for eight of the ten remaining shows on Sheeran’s tour, which resumes on September 19 in Philadelphia.
The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee launched a petition urging Sheeran to remove Macklemore from the tour.
Macklemore wrote on Instagram that billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots football team, rallied support among some stadium owners and informed Sheeran that they would not allow him to perform in their venues if Macklemore remained on the tour.
In a statement to US media, Kraft said he dedicates most of his time to fighting hatred and antisemitism, and that he feels a “responsibility to stand up to what I believe is a crossing of the line.”
Macklemore denies being antisemitic, stating that conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel’s actions is intended to avoid holding Israel accountable.
