Ed Sheeran Cries Onstage, Calls Gaza Actions 'Catastrophic and Unjustifiable'
The singer expressed his feelings on the conflict during his first concert since Macklemore's controversial remarks.
Ed Sheeran became emotional onstage during his Saturday night concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where he broke his silence on the Israel-Gaza conflict. He described Israel's actions in Gaza as "catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate."
"I've never wanted to be an activist musician, but this put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet," Sheeran told the crowd. He stated that he could no longer hide his feelings about the situation.
Sheeran acknowledged the events of October 7th, referring to the attacks on Israel and a music festival as horrific and compounding centuries of Jewish pain. However, he then turned his attention to Gaza, describing the situation there as a humanitarian crisis.
"My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilian loss and loss of children's lives," he said, his voice breaking. He also mentioned that "the systemic injustice we're seeing unfolding the West Bank cannot be overlooked."
Following his impromptu speech, the singer-songwriter performed his song "Castle on the Hill." The crowd responded with applause. The concert took place at the football stadium, which did not appear to be filled to capacity.