Teary Ed Sheeran admits 'mistakes' as he condemns ‘catastrophic and unjustifiable’ Gaza conflict
The English musician told the crowd in Philadelphia 'I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician'
Musician Ed Sheeran told fans that his heart “has been broken” by the situation in Gaza after all of his supporting acts left his tour following a dispute over Palestinian activism.
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Sheeran initially was left stranded on his Loop tour after his supporting act Macklemore was pulled from the tour for leading a “Free Palestine” chant on stage.
His other opening musicians and his live band departed of their own volition, accusing Sheeran of not standing up for Macklemore and of not expressing support for Palestinians.
When Sheeran took to the stage solo at Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Philadelphia on Saturday night, he told his fans: “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes and I’m so, so sorry for them.
“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.”
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Sheeran first addressed the October 7 massacre, saying: “What happened in Israel and at the Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.”
He then said: ““What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives. And the systemic injustice we are seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked.”
The 35-year-old singer began his world tour in Auckland, New Zealand in January.
It is set to wrap up in Mexico City in December, with a total of 16 shows still scheduled across North and South America, after Philadelphia.
Acts who dropped out of Sheeran’s tour include Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy award-winning musician Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother, and Danish singer Lukas Graham, and Sheeran’s backing band Beoga.
On Monday, Macklemore posted on Instagram claiming Sheeran and his team had “made the decision to remove” him from the Loop Tour.
During an earlier show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the rapper said he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
Sheeran responded in a statement posted to Instagram on Tuesday, saying it was the promoter’s decision to remove the rapper from the tour, not his.
He said “upcoming tour dates had communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”, and added that Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium where he was due to play, was among them.
While the stadium in Philadelphia was still filled with fans supporting the musician, there was also a Free Palestine protest held outside of the venue.