Ed Sheeran responds after Macklemore is axed from tour over Free Palestine remarks
The Shape of You singer said he does not use his public platform for politics
Ed Sheeran has spoken out for the first time after US rapper Macklemore was removed as his tour support act, saying he does not use his public platform for politics.
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American rapper Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, said on Monday he was dropped from the US leg of Sheeran's Loop Tour after his pro-Palestinian comments and "Free Palestine" remarks on stage.
The remarks prompted a backlash online, including criticism from singer Pink.
In a statement posted on Sheeran’s official Instagram account, the star said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and described the suffering on both sides as a “human tragedy”.
But he said he would not publicly share his personal views.
“I am not complicit,” the statement said. “Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care.”
Sheeran, 35, said his audiences include children and young people “from all backgrounds”, adding that this was why he does not use the stage for political messaging.
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The statement also stressed that the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour promoter, not Sheeran.
It said venues due to host upcoming shows contacted organisers after the MetLife Stadium performance, warning they would pull the concerts if Macklemore remained on the bil
During a September 4 concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Macklemore made the comments that have led to his departure from the tour.
Macklemore wrote on Instagram he and Sheeran had "some difficult conversations this past week."
Messina Touring Group, promoter of the US leg of Sheeran's Loop Tour, told Rolling Stone that venue owners on the upcoming US tour dates notified the promoters they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore in the lineup.
"After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates," Messina Touring Group said.
Macklemore has long been pro-Palestinian and a critic of Israel's assault on Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank.
In 2024, Macklemore released Hind's Hall, a protest anthem in solidarity with pro-Palestinian demonstrators and in memory of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab who was killed by Israeli troops in Gaza. Israel's military said last month it had opened a criminal investigation into her killing, though rights groups say such probes rarely lead to convictions.
"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 earlier this month.
"I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them," Macklemore had said during the concert.
Pink was among those criticising his actions, writing on Instagram: "Last weekend he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn't about them.
"You don't get to decide that for us."
Macklemore, a Grammy-winning artist, was on the bill to perform at eight of the 10 shows Sheeran has left on his stadium tour, which will resume on September 19 in Philadelphia, according to Variety.
The Israeli-American Council started a petition urging Sheeran to remove Macklemore from the tour.
Macklemore said on Instagram New England Patriots owner and billionaire Robert Kraft rallied support among some stadium owners and told Sheeran they will not allow him to perform at their venues if Macklemore stayed on the tour.
In a statement to US media, Kraft said much of his time was dedicated to fighting hate and antisemitism and he felt "a responsibility to stand up when I believe that line has been crossed."
Macklemore denies being antisemitic and said that conflating antisemitism with criticism of Israel's actions aims to avoid Israeli accountability.