US rapper Macklemore has praised children’s YouTuber Ms Rachel as she pledges to match his donation of one million US dollars (£747,328) to charities supporting Palestinian people.
The musician announced on Wednesday he would be donating his entire net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour after being dropped as a supporting act over comments he made about Gaza.
Since then, all of Sheeran’s Loop Tour supporting acts, including Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy award-winning musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham, as well as his backing band Beoga, have dropped out of the remaining dates.
US YouTube star Ms Rachel, real name Rachel Anne Accurso, shared a post to Instagram on Thursday as she revealed she is following Macklemore’s lead and also donating to pro-Palestinian charities.
The children’s entertainer, 43, wrote: “I will match Macklemore’s donation and I invite every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza.
“Over 20,000 precious Palestinian children have been killed and children continue to be killed every day.
“We have a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect children and human rights.”
Accurso stated that she is an ambassador for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) and will be donating to them beneath the post, which was shared to her 5.8 million followers.
Macklemore, famed for hits such as Thrift Shop and Same Love, was among the commenters offering their support and wrote: “Wowwww…. Love you so much.”
The 43-year-old, real name Benjamin Haggerty, also shared the post to his Instagram story and praised Accurso’s actions.
The rapper previously revealed he will be donating to the PCRF among five other organisations: HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA and American Near East Refugee Aid.
It comes after he claimed that Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns the Gillette Stadium where Sheeran was due to play, had contacted the singer and told him they would not be able to host the shows unless he was removed from the tour.
Macklemore invited the US businessman to match his donations adding that “whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth”.
Sheeran said in a social media post on Tuesday that Macklemore’s departure from the tour was the promoter’s decision and not his, adding: “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.”
The award-winning singer also said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine”, and added he respected Macklemore “as an artist”.
In a previous statement shared by Kraft, the businessman said his decision to ban the US rapper following his comments onstage were due to a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community”.
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.
