Macklemore Speaks Out After Being Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour, Says Singer Claimed That Saying ‘Free Palestine’ Was ‘Hurtful to a Lot of People’

Macklemore has responded to being dropped from the remaining U.S. dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, after comments he made onstage about Palestine drew controversy.

The rapper responded in a lengthy post on Instagram in which he seemed to place the blame for the ban on New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, saying that the billionaire rallied other stadium owners to refuse to allow Macklemore to perform at their venues, rather than Sheeran or even Pink, who commented on his statements.

“I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour.

“But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment I think it matters. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.

“The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.”

He continues, “Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said at MetLife, Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.

“Ed was in a fucked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words “Free Palestine” and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn’t get past his public facing, “I don’t take sides.”

“And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed. When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle.”

His statement appears in full here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdRdsy0m2HK/

Concert promoter Messina Touring Group released a statement about dropping Macklemore from the tour on Sept. 14.

“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans,” the statement read. “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

Macklemore attracted headlines and debate during his Sept. 4 set at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where he gave a speech that included a call to “Free Palestine,” before he performed his song “Hind’s Hall,” in which he supports pro-Palestinian protests.

“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,” he said in his speech. “My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality. So I say free Palestine, I say free Lebanon, I say free Cuba, I say free Congo, free Sudan, free all people in America living in fear of this terrorist organization, ICE. None of us will be free until we are all free.”

Watch Macklemore giving the speech, which he posted on X, below.