Ed Sheeran said he did not decide to remove Macklemore from tour
In the United States, singer Ed Sheeran said that the decision to remove rapper Macklemore from his concert tour was made by the promoter, not by him personally. CBC News reports. Macklemore had performed as an opening act on Sheeran's tour, but his participation was ended after performances during which he shouted “Free Palestine.”
Sheeran's position
According to Sheeran, after concerts at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in early September, representatives of the subsequent venues said they would cancel his shows if Macklemore remained on the tour. They cited the way the rapper conveyed part of his message during the shows as the reason.
Sheeran noted that Macklemore's contract was with the promoter, not with him. The singer also said he tried to find a compromise, but the venues did not change their position. He called the suffering of people on both sides of the conflict between Israel and Palestine a humanitarian tragedy and said he has his own views, although he does not express them publicly.
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Statements by Macklemore and Robert Kraft
During concerts in New Jersey, Macklemore repeatedly shouted “Free Palestine,” expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Addressing Jewish audience members, he said that criticism of Israel, apartheid, and speaking out against genocide are not criticism of Jews.
Macklemore said that Sheeran had told him that the words “Free Palestine” and the image of the Palestinian flag were offensive to some people he had spoken with. The rapper said that, in his view, there is a fundamental difference in perspectives if these words are perceived more acutely than the deaths of Palestinian children, which he linked to Israel's actions.
Billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots club and Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, confirmed that he supported the demand to remove Macklemore. He said his stadium would not provide a platform for hate speech, accusing the rapper of spreading selective information and ignoring Hamas's actions. Sheeran's tour will continue without Macklemore; eight dates remain until its conclusion.
