Roger Waters has blasted Ed Sheeran after Macklemore was removed from his tour over his pro-Palestine speeches.
The Pink Floyd rocker has waded into the ongoing debate surrounding the decision to remove Macklemore as the opening act from Sheeran’s tour after he gave a speech in support of Palestine during two shows earlier this month.
The 83-year-old, who is a vocal supporter of Palestine, issued a video message to Sheeran on social media on Tuesday night, in a clip titled “Ed Who?”
“I just have a little message for you. There’s two kinds of people in this world, Ed. There’s people who do the right thing, that rapper Macklemore would be one of those people,” Waters said. “And there’s people, many of them sadly little f…. excuse me, I nearly used the F-word then, p**cks like you who do the wrong thing. Goodbye.”
The Shape of You singer issued a statement on Tuesday, insisting he was not responsible for the Thrift Shop singer being removed from the tour.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision; it was not mine,” he stated, before explaining that venue owners on his Loop Tour threatened to pull his shows if Macklemore remained on the line-up, and he could not “let down the fans”.
He added that he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and his silence should not be seen as complicity.
“I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way,” he wrote.
Hours later, all three remaining opening acts – Finneas, Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham – and Sheeran’s backing band Beoga withdrew from his upcoming dates in solidarity with Macklemore.
The Loop Tour continues in Philadelphia on 19 September. It is currently unknown who will open for Sheeran.
