Rapper Macklemore has been removed from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after making pro-Palestinian comments during two performances, according to the BBC. Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, said he confirmed his departure after a week of difficult discussions with Sheeran that ended in “fundamental disagreement”.
The controversy began on 4 September at Sheeran’s concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Macklemore told the audience that he wanted to use the stadium to say “Free Palestine”, then performed his song Hind’s Hall while footage depicting devastation in Gaza appeared on the venue’s screens.
The following night, he addressed Jewish audience members directly. He said criticism of Israel, opposition to apartheid and opposition to genocide were not criticisms of Jewish people, and said he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
Jewish groups criticised the appearances. StopAntisemitism said concertgoers had paid to see Sheeran perform rather than hear what it described as anti-Israel messaging. The Israeli-American Council also urged Sheeran to remove Macklemore, calling the performance political and objecting to what it described as biased messaging and disputed claims.
Messina Touring Group, the tour promoter, told Rolling Stone that venues had said they would not allow Macklemore to perform. It said this could have led to the tour being cancelled and affected hundreds of thousands of fans. Sheeran has not publicly commented, and no replacement for the remaining dates has been announced.
Macklemore said the Palestinian people in Gaza were the real victims and argued that criticism of Israel and support for Palestinians should not be equated with hatred of Jewish people. The BBC reported that Israel rejects allegations of genocide and says its military operations in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are acts of self-defence carried out in accordance with international law. The report said Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry had recorded more than 73,780 deaths during the campaign, a figure it said the UN considers reliable.