Macklemore doubles down on ‘Free Palestine’ plea following Israeli-American Council petition to have him removed from Ed Sheeran tour

Macklemore is continuing to voice his support for Palestinians during his time as an opening act on the Ed Sheeran Loop Tour. He addressed the recent backlash surrounding his onstage comments while performing at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday, September 14, Deadline reported.

The musician used his platform to clarify his perspective following a petition from the Israeli-American Council that demanded he be removed from the tour. The petition argued that the concert was not a place for a one-sided political agenda. It stated, “This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.” The group further noted that the issue is not about whether Macklemore has the right to his political views, but where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform.

Macklemore took a different approach during his set on Saturday. He spoke directly to the audience to explain that his advocacy is not directed against Jewish people. He said, “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters; criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, in no way is a criticism of you.”

Macklemore emphasized that his goal is to advocate for human dignity and equality for everyone

This message of equality was a central theme of his performance as he introduced his song Hind’s Hall. He wrote the track in 2024 to support student protests on college campuses. The song is named after the renaming of an academic building at Columbia University to Hind’s Hall. This renaming was done to honor Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in the Gaza Strip by IDF forces.

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During his set, Macklemore expanded his list of causes. He told the crowd, “So, I say Free Palestine, I say free Lebanon, I say free Cuba, I say free Congo, I say free Sudan, free all people in America living in fear over this terrorist organization ICE. None of us will be free until we all are free.”

He also took his thoughts to Instagram to double down on his stance. He shared a video of the performance and wrote, “Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”