Rapper Macklemore has drawn criticism for delivering an anti-Israel speech while opening for Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 5. The Israeli-American Council (IAC) has initiated a petition urging Ed Sheeran to remove Macklemore from the remainder of his tour, accusing the artist of propagating antisemitic messages.
Macklemore, whose legal name is Benjamin Haggerty, addressed the crowd, advocating for a "Free Palestine" and alleging that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. During his set, images from Gaza were displayed on large screens as he performed his song "Hindi’s Hall," a reference to the pro-Palestine demonstrations at Columbia University.
The IAC, representing over 15,000 Israeli-Americans, stated that the concert was intended for music, not political activism. "The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where to draw the line when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda," the organization said in a statement. The group further commented that the message was "troubling" due to its reliance on "selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact, without context or complexity."