Rapper Macklemore has been removed from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran's LOOP Tour after delivering a politically charged speech advocating for Palestine during his opening sets. Several major U.S. venues notified tour promoters that they would not permit the artist, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, to perform on their stages.
Macklemore's removal comes after he used his opening performances on September 4 and 5 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to chant "Free Palestine" and deliver a speech emphasizing universal freedom and solidarity with people in Gaza and the West Bank. He also performed his song "Hind's Hall," accompanied by projected images of devastation in Gaza.
This is not the first time Macklemore has publicly supported Palestinian rights. He has previously spoken out against Israel's conduct in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and was seen wearing a keffiyeh during his performance.
"I wanted to stand up here on stages in stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine," Macklemore stated during his speech. "I want those words to be loud and clear so that people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them."
The Israeli-American Council initiated a petition calling for Macklemore's removal, arguing that his performance turned a concert into a political rally. The petition questioned the appropriateness of an opening act using a global platform to advance a "one-sided political agenda."
Singer Pink also weighed in on the controversy, reposting a statement from StopAntisemitism that criticized Macklemore's performance, labeling it "anti-Israel propaganda" and accusing him of turning a mainstream event into a "political nightmare against the Jewish state."
Macklemore appeared to address the backlash by posting a clip of his speech, captioned: "Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial." He has a history of facing criticism for his public statements; in 2014, he issued an apology after wearing a disguise on stage that was condemned as an anti-Semitic caricature. At the time, he stated, "I would never intentionally put down anybody for the fabric that makes them who they are."