Grammy-winning rapper Macklemore — whose legal name is Benjamin Haggerty — has been removed from the remaining dates of British pop star Ed Sheeran's US stadium tour after declaring "Free Palestine" from the stage at a concert earlier this month. The removal follows mounting pressure from venue owners and Jewish advocacy groups, and raises broader questions about the intersection of politics and live entertainment.
The controversy began on September 4 when Macklemore, performing as an opening act on Sheeran's Loop Tour, told the crowd at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — one of the largest sports venues in the United States — that a primary reason he joined the tour was to stand in front of stadium audiences and say those two words. He then performed his 2024 protest song "Hind's Hall," named in memory of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, while footage of destruction in the territory played on the venue's screens. Israel's military has since opened a criminal investigation into her death, though human rights groups note such investigations rarely result in convictions.
After a week of what Macklemore described as "difficult conversations" with Sheeran — the two have been friends for 13 years — the tour's promoter, Messina Touring Group, announced his removal, citing notifications from venue owners that they would not permit him to perform, a situation that would have forced cancellations affecting hundreds of thousands of fans. The Israeli-American Council had launched a petition calling for his removal, and billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots American football franchise, reportedly rallied stadium owners and informed Sheeran that some venues would be unavailable if Macklemore remained on the lineup. Kraft said he felt "a responsibility to stand up" against what he characterised as antisemitism. Macklemore was slated to appear at eight of Sheeran's remaining ten shows; the tour resumes on September 19 in Philadelphia. Sheeran has not publicly commented.
In a lengthy Instagram statement, Macklemore pushed back firmly against the antisemitism charge, arguing that conflating criticism of Israel with hatred of Jewish people shields Israel from accountability rather than protecting Jewish communities. He acknowledged Sheeran's difficult position but criticised him for not taking a clearer public stand, writing that "there is no neutral side between the oppressor and the oppressed." Singer Pink, who is Jewish, was also drawn into the dispute after sharing criticism of Macklemore's stage conduct; she later posted her own statement clarifying she was not speaking on behalf of Israel or any government, but objecting to what she described as political messaging delivered to families who had come for a music concert.
The episode reflects a wider cultural and commercial tension that has intensified since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed approximately 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Palestinian health authorities report more than 73,780 deaths in Gaza since the campaign began. Israel rejects characterisations of its operations as genocide, describing them as lawful acts of self-defence. For Macklemore, who said he had personally lost business opportunities over his advocacy, the removal was nonetheless a measure of impact: "If it redirected the conversation back to Palestine," he wrote, "it's the most successful tour I've ever done."