Ed Sheeran has become embroiled in controversy after Macklemore was dropped from his tour due to the US rapper’s “Free Palestine” comments.
The ensuing fallout has seen other support acts pull out, leaving the tour in disarray, whilst Sheeran faces a wave of criticism from his industry peers as well as fans over the decision.
Whilst the British singer stressed it was not his decision to remove Macklemore, he has defended his choice to stay politically neutral.
Billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and a prominent supporter of and donor to Israel, called for Macklemore’s removal, calling his comments an example of hate speech which he would not endorse.
With the next show of the North American Loop tour set for tomorrow, and no support acts in sight, The Standard breaks down how we got here and what you need to know.
What did Macklemore say?
On September 4, the Thrift Shop singer gave a two-minute speech at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where he told the crowd that he wanted the people of Gaza and “the occupied West Bank” to know “we have not forgotten about them”.
He then launched into protest song Hind’s Hall, which condemns Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and was dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University. Images of the devastation in Gaza were shown whilst he performed.
Macklemore told the crowd that a large reason why he signed on to the tour was for the opportunity to speak on the ongoing conflict.
“So I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.
“I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
The following day, at his second appearance at the MetLife Stadium, he reiterated his previous message with a direct address to Jewish members in the audience.
“Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you. My message is for peace, love; for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality,” he said.
Removal from tour
Shortly after his remarks, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition asking Sheeran and his management to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates.
It claimed that the US rapper had used the platform of a global concert to “advance a one-sided political agenda”.
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.”
Pink also waded in on the debate, stating that aspects of Macklemore’s performances frightened her.
“What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘that scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?”
Meanwhile, Macklemore took to social media to share footage of him declaring “Free Palestine”, while also explaining that his criticisms are not directed at Jewish people.
In a caption, he wrote: “Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”
On Monday, September 14, Macklemore announced that he would no longer be playing the remaining dates of Sheeran’s Loop tour.
In a lengthy statement on Instagram, the 43-year-old said that despite his long-standing friendship with Sheeran, “it can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened”.
Macklemore said that Kraft had organised the boycott, rallying other stadium owners who ultimately gave Sheeran the ultimatum: “If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues”.
“Ed was in a f***** up position,” the rapper wrote. “He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it had never been before.
Kraft later confirmed to NBC News that he removed Macklemore from Gillette Stadium following the comments made at MetLife Stadium, which he said showed a “broader history of rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community”.
Ed Sheeran responds
Macklemore’s statement was met with waves of support online, with celebrities such as Pink Panthress, Zara Larson, and Kelahni commenting praise under the post.
The following day, Sheeran issued a statement of his own, where he confirmed that Kraft had issued an ultimatum.
“I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge,” he said. “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision; it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”
He said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine", and described the "suffering and pain caused on both sides" as a human tragedy.
However, stressed that he is “not complicit”.
“I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care.”
He said his audiences often include children and young people “from all backgrounds”, which is why he does not use the stage for politics.
Other support acts drop out
It didn’t take long for Sheeran’s other acts to drop out of the tour, as they expressed their solidarity with Macklemore.
Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, said in a statement as he announced he would no longer be performing: “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed."
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," he said.
“I stand with Palestine and its people,” said Finneas, who had been due to support Sheeran on six South American dates later this year.
Danish band Lukas Graham also announced that they would be leaving the tour.
Writing on Instagram, they said: “We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.”
Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, who opened on the Australian leg of the tour earlier this year and resumed as a support act for the US in June, said he did not "take the decision [to quit] lightly”.
“Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.”
However, he stressed that he “cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children”.
Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Sheeran on stage every night, dropped out too.
In their post, it said: “As musicians, playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.”
Macklemore responded to all of their statements with a Palestinian flag and a red love heart emoji.
Who has spoken out in support of Macklemore?
Aside from his fellow support acts firmly taking his side, a wave of celebrities and commentators have heaped praise on Macklemore for his public support of Palestine, while some have criticised Sheeran amid his apolitical stance.
In the day since Macklemore announced that he had been dropped from Sheeran’s tour, Sheeran lost 149,636 followers on Instagram, bringing his count to 47.3 million, according to data from social media analytics firm Social Blade.
Greta Thunburg said that the “cancelling” of the British singer showed that “global consciousness has shifted” in support of Palestinian causes.
“The normalisation of an apartheid state, and the attempts to sanitise or justify its actions, will no longer be tolerated.
“Ed, there is only one victim here: the Palestinian people.”
Roger Waters, the Pink Floyd co-founder and bassist, blasted Sheeran in a post on X, calling him a “p****”.
“I just have a little message for [Sheeran]. There’s two kinds of people in this world. Some people do the right thing.
“The rapper Macklemore would be one of those people. And there’s people – many of them, sadly – little f... excuse me, I nearly used the F-word then… p****s like you who do the wrong thing.”
Lewis Hamilton has also publicly thrown his support behind the American singer: “Thank you for using your voice, standing with you,” he wrote on the singer’s Instagram statement.
Who has spoken out in support of Ed Sheeran?
Pink waded into the controversy early on, expressing that Macklemore’s comments scared her and her loved ones.
She received a wave of backlash, with Macklemore himself stating that she, along with him and Sheeran, are “not victims”.
Responding to the criticism, Pink issued a statement where she said that she has never spoken for “Israel, or for any government” and reiterated her belief that “Hamas is a terrorist organisation.
“Palestinians deserve a future that honours their humanity and their aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child. Anybody’s child.”
Boy George also waded in on the debate, criticising the US singer for "turning an ancient conflict into a photo op”.
The former Culture Club star, 65, also shared a number of AI-generated memes slamming Macklemore.
James May also gave his two pence, as he joked about Macklemore’s departure from the tour.
The former Top Gear host responded to an image of the singer performing in 2014 in a costume claimed by many to be antisemitic.
“Who's this?" writer Jake Wallis Simons asked alongside the controversial image, with May responding: "Macklemore.”
Where are we now?
The rapper has now donated his one million-dollar (£747,328) tour net earnings to charities supporting Palestinian people, and challenged Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft, who reportedly called for his removal from the tour, to do the same.
“With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram.
“I will be donating the entire $1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour to six organisations working directly to support the Palestinian people. And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation.
In response, Kraft issued a statement on the official Gillette Stadium X account, revealing that Sheeran had reached out to him prior to the rapper’s public challenge.
“Ed called me and asked me to commit $2million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.
“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”
Kraft has not specified when he will be making his donation, or to which organisations.
Sheeran’s next performance is scheduled for September 19 at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where Graham and Rowe had been due to open for him.
He has 17 dates still left on the tour across North and South America, with the final show scheduled for December 11 in Mexico City.
