Macklemore faced severe backlash after calling for a Free Palestine during his opening act at Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour concert. He responded by re-emphasising that criticism of Israel does not amount to criticism of Jewish people.
On his opening act, “One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore told the crowd.
He added, “I want those words to be loud and clear, so the people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten them.”
He followed the speech with his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” released in 2024. The song expresses support for pro-Palestine demonstrations across campuses.
Its name comes from Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, which student protesters temporarily renamed “Hind’s Hall.”
This was in memory of 5-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed in Gaza after IDF soldiers opened fire on the car. Macklemore also displayed images related to Gaza’s genocide at MetLife Stadium during his speech.
Macklemore maintained that his calls were for peace and for all to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.
“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. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality,” said Macklemore.
He shared a video of his remarks with the caption: “Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”
The four-time Grammy-winning rapper also spoke about his fear of staying silent for his own comfort and the audience.
He extended support to other countries while calling out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“So I say Free Palestine, I say Free Lebanon, I say Free Cuba, I say Free Congo, Free Sudan, I say Free all people in America living in fear of this terrorist organisation, ICE. None of us will be free until we are all free.”
Petition Calls for His Removal
The Israeli-American Council (IAC) launched a petition calling on Ed Sheeran to remove Macklemore from the remaining US tour.
IAC questioned whether a major concert platform should promote what they called a “one-sided political agenda”. The council specifically objected to terms such as “apartheid” and “genocide” being used to describe Israel’s actions.
Meanwhile, celebrities such as American singer Pink had also criticised Macklemore’s actions.
She reshared a post by the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism, which accused Macklemore of subjecting Jewish fans to “anti-Israel propaganda”.
However, Ed Sheeran has still not made a public announcement on Macklemore’s future shows . As of now, Macklemore is scheduled to continue as an opening act on the selected dates.
