Macklemore To Donate $1 Mlllion Ed Sheeran Loop Tour Salary To Palestine Relief Aid

Macklemore has declared he will give away his entire $1 million earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organisations working directly with Palestinians and ensuring relief aid in Gaza. The rapper was dropped as an opening act over his pro-Palestine comments in a New Jersey concert.

“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 USD 1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support the Palestinian people. And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. 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.” Kraft had refused to allow Macklemore to perform at Gillette Stadium outside Boston.

In a reactive statement, Robert Kraft, the US stadium owner who had the rapper removed, stated, "Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis."

Robert Kraft Reacts To Macklemore's Challenge

Kraft continued in his defence, “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally (including Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan) designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike."

He also added that he has worked to bring "young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships".

"I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people," Kraft said. "I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting."

All four of Sheeran's remaining opening acts -- Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Boega and Lukas Graham -- have dropped out from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore and Palestine.