Macklemore’s $1m Palestine donation will send his net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organisations helping Palestinian people. The announcement came after the rapper was removed from the tour’s remaining date following his call to “Free Palestine” on stage.
The US artist, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, also challenged New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft to match the donation.
“With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram.
Which organisations will receive the money?
Macklemore said his net tour earnings would be divided among six groups working directly to support Palestinians:
- Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
- HEAL Palestine
- Gaza Soup Kitchen
- Medical Aid for Palestinians
- UNRWA USA National Committee
- Anera
He then addressed Kraft directly, asking him to contribute the same amount.
“Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting,” he wrote. “A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.”
The rapper said the dispute was not about him, the tour or the resulting headlines, but about Palestinians’ right to “freedom, dignity and safety in their own homeland.” He closed by urging supporters not to lose interest once the media attention faded, ending with: “Free Palestine.”
Why was Macklemore removed from the tour?
Macklemore had been supporting Ed Sheeran on the Loop Tour until the decision to remove him was announced earlier in the week. In a statement shared on Monday, 14 September, he claimed Kraft had presented Sheeran with an “ultimatum” after the rapper displayed a Palestinian flag and called for Palestinian freedom during his performance.
According to Macklemore, Sheeran told him that the words “Free Palestine” and the flag had upset people he had spoken with. Macklemore said he replied that there was a “fundamental disconnect” if those words caused more offence than the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian children.
He also described Sheeran as being placed in a difficult position because his usual public approach was not to take political sides.
Sheeran later issued his own statement, saying the tour promoters had made the decision to remove Macklemore and that it had not been his call. So, as often happens when a tour develops a political crisis, responsibility began travelling around rather faster than the stage equipment.
Which other support acts have withdrawn?
The dispute quickly expanded beyond Macklemore. On Tuesday, 15 September, Irish singer Aaron Rowe became the first of Sheeran’s other supporting artists to announce his departure from the North American dates.
Finneas followed, telling fans he would no longer appear at his scheduled shows.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he said. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Irish band Beoga also withdrew, while Danish pop group Lukas Graham confirmed its exit shortly after Finneas published his statement. The Loop Tour was consequently left without any of its announced support acts, which is not generally how promoters prefer a concert schedule to develop.
The online reaction has been substantial as well. Amid the controversy, Sheeran reportedly lost about 100,000 Instagram followers. Macklemore, meanwhile, gained almost one million.
Those figures may continue to shift as attention moves elsewhere. Macklemore’s donation, however, is intended to keep the focus on humanitarian support for Palestinians rather than on follower counts, tour logistics or the various statements now competing to explain who decided what.
