Ed Sheeran Faces Backlash After Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine’ Speech at NJ Concert

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    By Joseph Feldman

    NEW YORK (VINnews) — Ed Sheeran is facing growing backlash after his opening act, rapper Macklemore, used the stage at Sheeran’s MetLife Stadium concert in New Jersey to deliver a pro-Palestinian political message and lead the crowd in chants of “Free Palestine.”

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    Macklemore appeared before tens of thousands of concertgoers wearing a keffiyeh and told the audience he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. He then called for “Free Palestine” before performing his song “Hind’s Hall,” while footage from Gaza, pro-Palestinian demonstrations and other political messages were displayed on the stadium’s screens.

    Thousands of people also took to social media to express their dismay, with critics condemning Sheeran for allowing the political message to be delivered from the stage of his concert. Some questioned why fans who had paid to see Sheeran were subjected to what they described as anti-Israel political activism.

    One social-media post criticized the situation by saying people had paid to see Sheeran, “not to be subjected to anti-Israel propaganda,” while another accused Sheeran of remaining silent after the message was repeated during the second night at MetLife Stadium.

    The controversy has prompted the Israeli-American Council to launch a petition calling on Sheeran and his management to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates of the singer’s Loop Tour.


    “This was an Ed Sheeran concert — not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event,” the IAC said. The organization said the issue was not whether Macklemore had the right to hold political views, but where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a major concert platform to promote what it described as a one-sided political agenda.

    The IAC also criticized Macklemore’s performance of “Hind’s Hall,” saying the song was written in support of the pro-Palestinian campus protest movement and was named after the nickname protesters gave Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall after occupying the building. The organization argued that the performance presented disputed claims and political imagery to a massive audience without sufficient context.


    StopAntisemitism also condemned the performance, writing on social media that “Jewish patrons should not be subjected to this propaganda.” The group also criticized fans who had paid hundreds of dollars for Sheeran’s concert and called for apologies and refunds.

    Macklemore has previously drawn controversy over Israel-related comments and apologized in 2014 after appearing in a costume that critics said resembled an antisemitic caricature.

    Sheeran’s official tour website lists Macklemore as one of the supporting acts for the U.S. leg of the Loop Tour, including upcoming shows in Philadelphia and Foxborough, Massachusetts.

    As of Sunday, Sheeran had not publicly commented on Macklemore’s remarks or the growing calls for him to remove the rapper from the remaining tour dates.

    The IAC is also calling on Live Nation and venues hosting upcoming shows to establish clearer boundaries regarding political messaging from opening acts.

    “Freedom of expression does not mean freedom from responsibility,” the organization said. “Your show. Your stage. Your responsibility.”

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    4 Comments
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    Irish like their Polypsintheass
    Irish like their Polypsintheass
    17 days ago
    #2397197

    Makes sense: rap is shiit and so are the irish catholics.

    2
    Canada Murders The Sick And Elderly With MAiD.
    Canada Murders The Sick And Elderly With MAiD.
    17 days ago
    #2397191

    Concert turns into Hamas Nazi Rally. The left are Hamas Nazis. Democrats are Hamas Nazis.

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