Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft after Macklemore was forced off Ed Sheeran’s tour following onstage comments the rapper made in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
“It’s not just what has happened with the act and not just in removing Macklemore from the lineup, but when you see what Robert Kraft did to line up all of the stadiums to censor speech in that one specific way, it’s become clear that this is not just about one music artist or two music artists, but this is about how just a handful of stadium owners and the elite can prevent an entire massive issue, in this case, the genocide in Gaza,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a clip shared by Fox News.
In another clip posted by TMZ, when asked if Sheeran held responsibility, the congresswoman said that while everyone plays a role, the focus should be on Kraft and “the actual people who are who are kind of twisting things here.” She added, “We need to be very clear about how dangerous a precedent this.”
The controversy over Macklemore and his involvement as an opening act on Sheeran’s Loop Tour began after the Seattle artist joined the run in early September for two shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. At the first gig, Macklemore shouted “Free Palestine”; stood in solidarity with people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank; showed images on screens of the devastation caused by the war in Gaza; and performed his protest song, “Hind’s Hall,” about pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University.
The backlash was swift. Pro-Israel groups denounced Macklemore, with the Israeli American Council launching a petition demanding Sheeran nix him from the rest of the tour.
On Monday, Macklemore claimed that he was dropped after Sheeran was pressured by Kraft ahead of the singer’s upcoming show at Massachusetts’s Gillette Stadium, which is owned by the Kraft Group. “Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” Macklemore wrote. “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
In his own statement, Kraft confirmed he made the decision to bar Macklemore from performing at Gillette, saying it was based on his “material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.” The billionaire did not address the claim that Kraft also “rallied” other stadium owners to launch a pressure campaign against Macklemore.
Following the announcement of Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s tour, all artists supporting Sheeran withdrew from the trek including Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Rowe. “It’s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love. We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them,” Graham wrote in a statement shared to Instagram. “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
