Macklemore is the subject of a petition demanding that he be dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US ‘Loop’ tour following an onstage appeal for a “Free Palestine”.
During appearances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5, the rapper addressed the audience about Gaza and the West Bank. He said he wanted people there to know “they have not been forgotten”, adding that “I believe that every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom.”
He continued: “I say Free Palestine, free Cuba, Congo, Sudan and Iran and all the people of America who live in fear because of this terrorist organisation ICE”. He then performed his song supporting Palestine, ‘Hind’s Hall’, as footage from Gaza appeared on the screens.
The Israeli-American Council subsequently started a petition asking Sheeran and his management to cancel Macklemore’s remaining appearances on the tour.
“At Ed Sheeran’s September 4 concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, opening act Macklemore used the stage to deliver an extended political message, called for ‘Free Palestine’ and performed Hind’s Hall while images from Gaza and other political messaging were projected across the stadium screens,” the petition opened.
The IAC accused Macklemore of using a “global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda”. It continued: “This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.”
The organisation further argued: “This becomes even more troubling when the message relies on selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact, without context or complexity.”
It also asked Sheeran’s representatives 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.”
Neither Sheeran nor Macklemore had publicly addressed the petition at the time of writing.
Released in 2024, ‘Hind’s Hall’ takes its title from Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, which student protesters supporting Palestine renamed in memory of Hind Rajab, a child killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
Tom Morello praised the track upon its release, calling it “the most Rage Against The Machine song since Rage Against The Machine”.
Later that year, Macklemore released a followup featuring Palestinian-American performers Anees and Amer Zahr, rapper MC Abdul, who was born in Gaza, and the Los Angeles Palestinian Kids Choir.
Last year, a United Nations Commission found that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The commission recently said genocidal acts were continuing through attacks on children. Amnesty International has likewise concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Israel denies allegations of genocide and war crimes, describing its military operations as self defence following the Hamas led attacks of October 7, 2023. During the attack on the Nova music festival, 344 civilians and 34 security personnel were killed, while 44 people were taken hostage. Israel has also dismissed the UN findings as “distorted and false” and a “libellous sham”.
