Pro-Israel group petitions to drop Macklemore from Ed Sheeran tour after Palestine remarks
The Israeli-American Council has launched a petition seeking Macklemore’s removal from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, citing his onstage statements supporting Palestine.
Macklemore used his opening slot at Ed Sheeran’s concert in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium to perform his protest song “Hind’s Hall” and to call for a free Palestine, saying the words were meant to reach audiences in Gaza and the West Bank. He also expressed broader wishes for safety and peace worldwide and referenced other regions he believes should be free.
The Israeli-American Council (IAC), which represents a large community of Israeli-Americans, responded by starting a petition that asks for the rapper’s removal from the rest of the tour. The petition states that the concert was not intended as a political rally and questions whether an opening act should use a major stage to promote a political message. It also asks tour organizers to clarify whether Macklemore’s speech, visual content and performance were approved in advance and to set guidelines for political expression on the tour stage.
“Hind’s Hall,” written in 2024, was inspired by student protests on college campuses that criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza. The song’s title references a temporary name given to Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall by protesters honoring Hind Rajab, a Palestinian teenager killed in Gaza.