Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour after 'Free Palestine' speech

Rapper Macklemore (Benjamin Haggerty) has been removed from Ed Sheeran’s US leg of the Loop tour after making pro‑Palestinian remarks during two shows. He had been scheduled as the opening act for the tour, but Jewish groups criticised him after he declared “Free Palestine” at the concerts and delivered political speeches. Macklemore stood by his comments on Monday, confirming his removal from the tour and stating in a statement that the real victims are the Palestinian people in Gaza. Ed Sheeran has not yet commented, and it remains unknown who will replace him for the remaining dates. The controversy began on 4 September, when Macklemore, a longtime pro‑Palestine activist, performed at Ed Sheeran’s concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. He told the audience: “A large portion of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say 2 words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine.” He then performed his song Hind’s Hall, which condemns Israel’s military action in Gaza, while video footage of the devastation in Gaza was shown on the big screen. After that performance, the advocacy group StopAntisemitism criticised the rapper, saying: “Jewish fans bought tickets to see Ed Sheeran sing… not to be ambushed by Macklemore’s anti‑Israel propaganda.” The following night Macklemore returned to the same stage and directly addressed his “Jewish brothers and sisters” in the audience. He said: “Criticism of Israel, opposition to apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a opposition to you,” adding that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. Israel rejects allegations of genocide, maintaining that its forces conduct self‑defence operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in accordance with international law. The Israeli military launched its Gaza operation in response to an unprecedented Hamas‑led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. According to the Hamas‑run health ministry in Gaza, more than 73,780 people have been killed during Israel’s campaign, a figure the United Nations regards as reliable.