Macklemore Calls for ‘Free Palestine’ Onstage, Israeli-American Council Petitions for His Removal From Ed Sheeran Tour

Macklemore shouted out “Free Palestine” during his opening performance for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Friday evening, rapping in front of footage of Gaza, the occupied West Bank and pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The performance has sparked a petition from the Israeli-American Council calling for the recording artist to be removed from future dates of Sheeran’s tour. “To the people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank: no, we have not forgotten about you,” Macklemore said in a speech during his performance. “I say, ‘Free Palestine.’ I say, ‘Free Lebanon.’ Free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran and all the people living in America that have to live in fear because of this terrorist organization ICE.” Macklemore then launched into a performance of his 2024 single “Hind’s Hall,” titled after the name that pro-Palestinian student protestors gave to a Columbia University building they occupied after the killing of Palestinian 5-year-old Hind Rajab by the Israel Defense Forces. The Israeli American Council began circulating a petition Saturday, addressed to Ed Sheeran, MetLife Stadium leadership and other venues, managers and producers tied to the Loop tour, calling for Macklemore to be removed from all dates he is scheduled to perform. Social media posts directing IAC followers to the petition feature graphics captioned “Ed Sheeran. Your Show. Your Stage. Your Responsibility!” The petition, which does not publicly display the number of signatures it has gathered, also asks tour leadership “to clarify whether Macklemore’s political speech, visual content and performance of ‘Hind’s Hall’ were approved in advance, and to establish clear boundaries for the use of the tour stage to promote political messaging.” “This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest and not an activist event,” reads the petition. “The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.” Macklemore has used his performances to advocate for Palestinian rights before, including a set at the Palestine Will Live Forever festival in Seattle, Wash.