Macklemore Speaks Out on Ed Sheeran Clash Over Palestine Support

American rapper Macklemore has addressed his abrupt departure from Ed Sheeran’s global tour after publicly voicing his support for Palestine. Last month, the 43-year-old artist, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, used his support set for the A Team singer to speak about the situation in Gaza. He had been booked to open for Sheeran across the United States during the warm-up shows on the Loop Tour.

Within hours of his political statement, however, it was announced that the Can’t Hold Us rapper had been removed from the tour.

The decision was followed by the withdrawal of the remaining support acts, leaving Sheeran to apologise to fans and perform the three-hour concert alone.

Macklemore had not publicly commented on his removal until Saturday (October 30), when he took the stage in London for the latest date on his Free Palestine tour.

Speaking to a sold-out audience at the OVO Arena Wembley, the musician said it had become “more uncomfortable for me to stay silent than to say something” as he delivered an emotional speech supporting Palestine.

Videos from the concert show Macklemore telling a cheering crowd that he had reached a point where remaining quiet about the overseas conflict was no longer possible.

He said: “I was scrolling, scrolling and seeing the horrific, unimaginable catastrophe that was happening in front of our eyes.

“At a certain point, it was more uncomfortable for me to stay silent than to say something. I just want to say, I don’t believe that saying something is brave.

“I don’t believe that saying something is courageous. I believe that something is human. Those children in Gaza are our children. There is no separation,” he continued, as the crowd erupted in cheers and chants of “Free Palestine”.

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Following the speech, Macklemore was joined on stage by several supporters, including singer Paloma Faith, who spoke about motherhood and the importance of every child’s life.

The 45-year-old singer said: “It’s scary to be in the public eye and to come out and say and stand up at these things. But it’s not as scary as what would happen if we didn’t do it.”

The award-winning singer, who welcomed her third child seven months ago, said she had worried about taking a political position because she has “a family to support”.

Faith continued: “But I just thought, ‘Why are my children more important than the children in Gaza, and Palestine, and Sudan, Yemen and Congo? They are not more important.

“It breaks my heart to think that anyone thinks their children are more important than somebody else’s. Every child deserves to have their mother hold them in their arms and say, ‘It’s going to be safe’. Right now, this world doesn’t feel very safe for children.”

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg also appeared during the London concert, where she gave a forceful speech calling for greater support for the Palestinian people.

Macklemore launched his Free Palestine tour in Dublin earlier this week, performing alongside artists including Hozier and Kneecap. He then took the tour to Paris on Thursday (November 5), with Aurora and DJ Habibeats among the featured performers.

The Grammy-winning rapper previously said the shows had “sold out immediately” after tickets went on sale last month. The tour dates were announced shortly after Macklemore was dropped from the remaining US shows on Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following his comments about Gaza.

The show aims to unite artists and friends to help provide humanitarian aid and support for people in Palestine. All proceeds from the concerts will go towards a number of organisations working in support of Palestinian people, providing medical care, humanitarian assistance, education, community support and advocacy.

Those organisations include Anera, Gila, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Taawon, Heal Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Jewish Voice for Peace, Medical Aid for Palestinians, Institute for Middle East Understanding, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and UNRWA USA.