Macklemore is facing backlash from a pro-Israel organization after making an onstage plea to “Free Palestine.”
The 43-year-old rapper made the public plea while opening for Ed Sheeran at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Friday (Sept. 4) as part of the British superstar’s Loop Tour.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore told the crowd. “I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
During his set, the Grammy-winning rapper also performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall.”
Macklemore said he believes “every single human being that walks this earth deserves” to “know safety and peace before they know the sound of violence, to know the sound of laughter on a playground before planes and bombs, for parents to be able to say bye to their kids in the morning and not have to wonder if this is going to be the last time they kiss their child goodbye.”
The “Thrift Shop” hitmaker concluded his remarks by reflecting on his own fears and his decision to speak out.
“And if I let that fear I felt on the plane yesterday stop me from speaking my heart in order to keep my own comfort and the audience’s comfort, that is the day I no longer continue to be on stage,” he said. “So, I say ‘Free Palestine!’ I say, free America, free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran, and all the people in America who have to live in fear because of this terrorist organization ICE.”
Macklemore’s politically charged speech drew the attention of the Israeli-American Council (IAC), which represents more than 150,000 Israeli Americans. The organization has since launched a petition calling for the rapper to be removed from Sheeran’s remaining tour dates.
Macklemore is currently scheduled to open eight U.S. stadium shows between mid-September and early November, according to Sheeran’s website.
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event,” the IAC’s petition reads. “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. 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.”
The organization is also calling “on tour leadership 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.”
Macklemore has been vocal in his support for Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas war. In May 2024, he released “Hind’s Hall” in support of Gaza and pro-Palestinian student protests, criticizing U.S. support for Israel. He said all streaming proceeds from the song would go to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
