Macklemore is dropped from Ed Sheeran's US tour.
Macklemore generated controversy over his pro-Palestine comments at an earlier concert stop in New Jersey.
The rapper claimed that Sheeran got an ultimatum.
Macklemore has been dropped from Ed Sheeran 's tour over his pro-Palestinian comments made earlier this month onstage at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. Macklemore shared on Instagram that he was compelled to quit Ed Sheeran’s tour by billionaire and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: ‘If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues’,” the rapper claimed. However, Macklemore has been strongly speaking out for Palestine for years. His New Jersey comments reflect a longstanding stance.
Macklemore On Being Removed From Ed Sheeran's Tour
"So why is it an issue now? Because I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America,” Macklemore stated. “At a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk.”
“More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that,” he added.
“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you,” he had insisted during the New Jersey concert. “This message is for peace, love, for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality. A big part 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 two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine."
One of the venues is Gillette Stadium, home to the NFL's New England Patriots. Owner Robert Kraft insisted the decision to cancel Macklemore was a result of his recent comments “and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”
“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,” Kraft said in a statement Monday.
Macklemore’s advocacy “should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas,” Kraft said.
