Ed Sheeran, who has largely stayed away from political debates and controversies throughout his career, is now drawing attention for his public stance as artists increasingly use their platforms to weigh in on social and political issues.

In the last two weeks, the careful balancing act came crashing down. For those unaware, Ben Haggerty, better known as Macklemore, was opening Ed Sheeran’s act on his US Loop Tour.

During his set, the rapper chanted ‘Free Palestine’ and performed Hind’s Hall, a protest song supporting pro-Palestine demonstrations on campuses across the country.

The response to this was immediate. The Israeli-American Council called for his removal, while few celebrities came out in support of him. Days later, the tour operators announced that they had dropped Macklemore from the tour.

Macklemore revealed through Instagram that Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, had given Sheeran an ultimatum to drop him or lose access to the venue.

Now Ed Sheeran had two options here. Stand his ground for his friend of 10 years or drop him under pressure. For the first time in his career, he could not play the neutral card.

He had to pick a side, eventually succumbed to pressure and dropped Macklemore from the tour. What followed was one of the most disastrous weeks for the songwriter.

All of his opening acts quit in solidarity with Macklemore and the Palestine cause. They were Aaron Rowe, Finneas and the band Lukas Graham. His own band, Beoga, also stepped down for the same reason.

Ed Sheeran lost around 150,000 followers on Instagram within 24 hours, and many flocked to social media to criticise his decision. His concert ticket prices fell by 45 per cent and some started selling their tickets online.

Also growing complaints from fans demanding a complete refund of his Gillette Stadium shows scheduled for September 25 and 26, citing major changes to the announced lineup.

Ticketmaster announced that everyone would receive a complete refund for the shows. The concerts, scheduled to be held at the Kraft-owned venue, have been cancelled due to bad weather.

Sheeran Addresses the Controversy

The British singer-songwriter returned to the tour on September 19 in Philadelphia. Starting with an apology, he appeared to read from a teleprompter and shared his stance on what he called the most complex issue on the planet.

“I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” said Sheeran.

Sheeran conveyed that what happened on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. The singer added that what is happening in Gaza is not political but humanitarian.

“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian lives — children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked,” the singer added.

How a state accused of carrying out a genocide can be called apolitical remains an open question.

The songwriter, with a USD 400 million net worth, claimed that he was not picking sides in the conflict.

Meanwhile, it is important to note that he lent support to Ukraine during Russia’s invasion of the country. He even recorded a protest song about the Ukraine war with U2 earlier this year.

All this crumbled his image of a neutral celebrity. While he repeatedly claims to stay apolitical, there is nothing apolitical about silencing someone’s freedom of speech.

The Divide in Public Support

While Sheeran lost 500,000 followers since his decision, Macklemore gained over 2 million followers. Support poured in for the rapper from across the industry, including Lewis Hamilton and Zara Larsson.

Macklemore donated USD 1 million to the Palestinian aid groups, challenging Kraft to match it.

While Kraft did take it up, it is still unclear which organisation he donated to, as his note mentioned aid in the region.

The four-time Grammy winner also announced a Free Palestine tour, with Dublin, Paris and London confirmed as the first three stops. US dates are yet to be announced.

“When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention,” said Macklemore. He also confirmed that all the profit will go to the Palestinian cause.

The Ed Sheeran-Macklemore concert has become one of the biggest issues in Hollywood. It also seems to break the myth of neutrality many celebrities hide behind.

As Desmond Tutu said, if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.

While Sheeran spent a decade proving neutrality was possible, the incident has proved it was never an option to begin with.