Danny O’Donoghue offers former Ed Sheeran support act to open for The Script instead

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Danny O’Donoghue has declared his support for ‘free speech’ and extended an invitation to a support act who dropped out of Ed Sheeran’s tour. The A Team hitmaker has been at the centre of a social media storm this week after rapper Macklemore was removed from his Loop Tour over his ‘free Palestine’ speeches. Macklemore, real name Ben Haggerty, revealed in an Instagram statement that, after two shows opening for Sheeran, he had been told by the Grammy-winning songwriter Robert Kraft would not allow him to perform at Gillette Stadium, which the Kraft Group owns. The Same Love rapper, 43, who has long been vocal about his solidarity with Palestine, said Sheeran, 35, had been ‘given an ultimatum’ that, if he were to continue as his opener, Sheeran would not be allowed to play in Kraft’s venues. Sheeran himself addressed the situation in a statement, arguing that removing long-time friend Macklemore was ‘the promoter’s decision’, not his, while criticism raged and even caused his own cousin to say he felt ‘ashamed’. Still, this led to his other opening acts – Finneas O’Connell, Aaron Rowe, and Lukas Graham – ditching the tour, both in solidarity with Macklemore and in echoing his stance on Palestine. Sheeran’s backing band, Beoga, dropped out, too. Irish singer Aaron Rowe dropped out of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following Macklemore’s removal (Picture: AP Photo/Scott A Garfitt) Now, in response, The Script frontman O’Donoghue has offered Rowe, who is Irish, a concert slot at the 3Arena concert in Dublin. Appearing on The Late Late Show, the Hall of Fame vocalist was asked by host Patrick Kielty about the ‘Irish acts coming off tour’. O’Donoghue, 45, replied: ‘I’m a massive believer in free speech. ‘I think the Irish acts that came off the tour, particularly Aaron Rowe – he’s a lovely guy. I think he showed immense backbone. And particularly starting off. ‘He’s playing stadiums in America. For him to come off that, at such a young age, I think more power to him.’ The star continued, looking directly into the camera: ‘This is for you, Rowe. The Script is playing the 3Arena on the dates you were supposed to play in Tampa. Danny O’Donoghue of The Script has said he’s a ‘massive believer in free speech’ (Picture: Martin Grimes/Getty Images) He’s invited Rowe to open for The Script in Dublin (Picture: Martin Grimes/Getty Images) ‘So if you want to come, if you want our support, The Script is there for you.’ The studio audience erupted into applause as O’Donoghue stressed that Rowe is ‘more than welcome to come down’. In his earlier statement, Rowe admitted he hadn’t made the decision to pull out of the tour ‘lightly’, as Sheeran had ‘been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this’. ‘But as Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,’ Rowe continued. ‘I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.’ He added that he wants to be true to himself and his ancestors who ‘fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland’, signing off his message with ‘FREE PALESTINE’. A few days later, Rowe came to Sheeran’s defence after the Thinking Out Loud singer wrote: ‘I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy.’ Sheeran has denied being ‘complicit’ despite his apolitical stance (Picture: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock) Sheeran’s statement also said he had spent the week trying to ‘build bridges’ and emphasised that, despite his famously apolitical stance, he is ‘not complicit’. Rowe acknowledged that Sheeran’s response ‘could have been a lot better’ and Macklemore ‘shouldn’t have been pulled off the tour’, but encouraged people to focus their outrage further afield. ‘I haven’t had a chance to talk to Ed too much, but I fully believe he knows that was a mistake,’ Rowe wrote. ‘All he has inside of him is kindness. That is who Ed Sheeran is. And yes, like every other human being he makes f***ing mistakes.’ He added that ‘you should really be focusing on the Zionist lobbies that are trying to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide’ and people ought to be ‘using this opportunity to plaster Robert Kraft’s face everywhere’. ‘Someone who tried to shut down free speech, someone who tried to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide.’ Rapper Macklemore has long voiced his support for Palestine (Picture: Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock) Many artists have publicly backed Macklemore in recent days, with his first statement reaching eight million likes and receiving comments from Zara Larsson, Paloma Faith, Kehlani, Jameela Jamil, and Greta Thunberg. He later issued a follow-up, revealing he was donating the ‘entire $1million (£747k)’ of his net earnings from the Loop Tour to organisations working with Palestinian people. Having challenged Kraft to match the amount, the stadium owner later confirmed Sheeran asked him to match a $2m (£1.49m) donation to humanitarian aid. Kraft, 85, who is also the owner of the New England Patriots, said he ‘believes deeply that all lives are worth protecting’, and emphasised that he had ‘dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people’. Switched On Get plugged into the week’s must-watch shows, unmissable moments, and expert reviews with Metro TV Editor Sabrina Barr.