The following night, Macklemore addressed Jewish listeners while defending his position.
“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you,” he said. “My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”
He then broadened the statement beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“So I say free Palestine, I say free Lebanon, I say free Cuba, I say free Congo, free Sudan, I say free all people in America living in fear of this terrorist organization, ICE,” he said. “None of us will be free until we are all free.”
Why is the Israeli-American Council demanding his removal?
The Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling on Sheeran and the tour’s organisers to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates. The organisation said roughly 80,000 concertgoers had been subjected to a “one-sided anti-Israel speech.” Some accounts placed the attendance at more than 80,000.
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert, not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event,” the petition said. “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.”
The council placed responsibility directly on the headliner with another concise message: “Your show. Your stage. Your responsibility.”
Pop singer Pink also shared a StopAntisemitism post calling on Sheeran to apologise and offer refunds, according to Vice. Sheeran, meanwhile, has not publicly responded, as reported by The Independent and Israel Hayom.
Will Macklemore remain on Ed Sheeran’s tour?
For now, the official schedule suggests yes. Sheeran’s website still lists Macklemore for nine US stadium dates running from September 19 through November 7, beginning in Philadelphia.
Neither Sheeran, Live Nation nor the upcoming venues had announced changes as of September 8. A petition, even a widely circulated one, is not the same thing as a cancelled contract. The practical decision now sits with the people controlling the tour, none of whom appear eager to discuss it publicly.
The two artists also have more history than a standard headliner-and-support-act pairing. Macklemore and Sheeran collaborated on the 2015 song “Growing Up,” meaning the rapper is not simply an unfamiliar opener who wandered onstage with an unexpected slideshow.
That relationship may help explain why Sheeran selected him for multiple dates. It also makes the silence more conspicuous as pressure builds for a response.
What is the background to “Hind’s Hall”?
Macklemore released “Hind’s Hall” in 2024 in support of the pro-Palestinian student protest movement. Its title refers to Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall, which demonstrators temporarily renamed after Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza.
The rapper pledged streaming proceeds from the song to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, commonly known as UNRWA. The track established his public position well before the MetLife appearances, so the political content was hardly a late discovery.
Macklemore has previously faced accusations involving antisemitic imagery. In 2014, he apologised after wearing a stage costume that critics said resembled an antisemitic caricature. He said the resemblance was unintentional.
His latest remarks tried to separate criticism of Israel and its conduct from hostility toward Jewish people. Critics of the performances remain unconvinced, while supporters view the speeches as consistent with his established activism.
The immediate issue is now less about what Macklemore believes, since he has stated that rather clearly, and more about what Sheeran’s tour does next. Nine bookings remain advertised, the petition remains active, and the headliner remains silent.
