Macklemore says Ed Sheeran told him ‘Free Palestine’ was ‘hurtful to a lot of people’

Macklemore has spoken out after being removed from the remaining US dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, saying Sheeran told him that his “Free Palestine” comments were “hurtful to a lot of people”.

The rapper addressed his departure in a lengthy Instagram post, in which he said New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had contacted Sheeran after Macklemore’s September 4 performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

“Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour,” Macklemore wrote.

He claimed Sheeran told him that Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, would not allow Macklemore to perform at the venue.

According to Macklemore, Sheeran also said Kraft had contacted other stadium owners and that they had given him an ultimatum over Macklemore’s involvement in the tour.

Macklemore said Sheeran told him that the words “Free Palestine” and 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,” Macklemore wrote.

Messina Touring Group, the concert promoter for Sheeran’s US Loop Tour, confirmed on September 14 that Macklemore would not perform at the remaining support dates.

“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 said.

Macklemore’s September 4 speech included a call to “Free Palestine”, “free Lebanon” and “free Cuba”, alongside a message supporting peace, dignity, respect and equality.