Israeli-American group petitions to drop Macklemore from Ed Sheeran tour after pro-Palestine remarks
Macklemore faced a petition from the Israeli-American Council seeking his removal from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s U.S. stadium tour after he urged “Free Palestine” during a September 4 performance.
Rapper Mackellore used his opening slot at Ed Sheeran’s MetLife Stadium concert on Sept. 4 to call for a “Free Palestine,” saying the words were meant to reach people in Gaza and the West Bank. He also performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall” and spoke about the right of all people to live without fear of violence.
The Israeli-American Council (IAC), which represents more than 150,000 Israeli Americans, responded by launching an online petition that asks concert promoters to remove the artist from the rest of Sheeran’s U.S. stadium dates, which run through early November. The petition states:
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event. The issue is not whether Mackellore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.”
The IAC also requested clarification from tour management about whether Mackellore’s speech, visual content and the performance of “Hind’s Hall” had been approved in advance, and urged the establishment of clear guidelines for political messaging on the stage.