Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images via People Magazine
On Sept.14, Macklemore was dropped as an opener for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, due to his comments on the Israel–Palestine conflict. Some are condemning Sheeran for the decision, while others are praising him for it.
Sheeran’s working relationship with Macklemore dates back to 2014, when they went on tour together. They also collaborated on the song “Growing Up (Sloane's Song)” in 2015. However, the dynamic between the two changed when Macklemore called for a “free Palestine” and performed the protest song “Hind’s Hall” at his first two opening shows for the Loop Tour, on Sept. 4 and 5.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore said while on stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4.
On Sept. 5, while on stage at the same stadium, Macklemore explained that his comments were not a criticism of Jewish people, but rather a criticism of the Israeli government for committing what he called a genocide.
“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you,” he said, according to Billboard.
In response, on Sept. 6, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition to remove Macklemore from the tour.
According to the petition, Macklemore "used the stage to deliver an extended political message, called for 'Free Palestine' and performed Hind's Hall while images from Gaza and other political messaging were projected across the stadium screens."
"This becomes even more troubling when the message relies on selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact, without context or complexity,” the petition said, according to BBC News.
In 2014, Macklemore performed at the EMP Museum in Seattle, while wearing a costume that critics said was anti-Semitic, according to BBC News.
The character Macklemore portrayed had a large fake hooked nose and beard. In response to the criticism, Macklemore stated at the time that he didn’t intend for the costume to be offensive, but after performing, he realized that the costume could have resembled a “Jewish caricature.”
On Sept. 14, Sheeran and his touring managers removed Macklemore from the tour.
Macklemore spoke out following this decision, and showed sympathy for Sheeran while criticizing him for not taking a side and speaking up for Palestinians. “There is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed,” he said, according to Billboard.
In statement posted to Instagram on Sept. 15 , Sheeran shared that he “was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all,” according to Rolling Stone.
However, he stated it was ultimately the venue and concert organizers that made the final decision to let Macklemore go.
In the statement, he explained that he respects “Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,” but that, “there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”
Sheeran also shared with his followers that he and Macklemore had a “fundamental disagreement” on the situation in Gaza. In response to Macklemore being dropped, several other openers for Sheeran’s tour, including Aaron Rowe, FINNEAS, Lukas Graham and the band Beoga, dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” FINNEAS said in a statement.
On Sept. 24, Macklemore announced his own tour, the Free Palestine Tour, where all the profits would go to Palestinian families. His first three tour dates, happening Oct. 26–30 in Dublin, Paris, and London, “sold out immediately,” Macklemore said, according to CBC News.
Macklemore has pledged to donate all of the money he earned from his two openers, roughly US $1 million, to Palestinian organizations. He plans to donate the revenue generated from the Free Palestine Tour to 12 different charitable organizations, including Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, and HEAL Palestine.