Finneas, Lukas Graham, Beoga and Aaron Rowe are all among the support acts and musicians pulling out of Ed Sheeran‘s tour in protest of Macklemore being kicked off for sharing his support of Palestine on stage.
After making an impassioned speech calling for “all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality” while opening for Sheeran across recent dates in New Jersey, the rapper faced calls for his removal from the tour by the Israeli-American Council, who claimed he had used his platform to “advance a one-sided political agenda”.
He then responded to critics of his onstage pleas for a “Free Palestine”, saying striving for equality “should never be controversial”, but still he was removed from the tour. Macklemore shared a lengthy statement in which he claimed that after Robert Kraft — the owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium — started a campaign against Sheeran to drop him or the shows couldn’t go ahead.
Kraft also spoke out to defend his actions, before Sheeran claimed that he was “not complicit” or responsible for the decision, adding that he had spent the past week “trying to build bridges, to find a solution” but was “unable to do so”.
Now, a number of other support acts have also pulled out in solidarity with Macklemore and the people of Palestine.
Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator and vocal supporter of the people of Palestine, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year, but has now taken himself off the bill.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” wrote Finneas on Instagram. “I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Meanwhile, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga along with the Danish band Lukas Graham have also made a stand. Rowe was one of Macklemore’s replacements for Sheeran’s remaining US dates, while Beoga was serving as Sheeran’s touring band having collaborated with him on ‘Galway Girl’ and ‘Nancy Mulligan’ from ‘÷’ .
“We have made the decision to depart as Ed Sheeran’s band on the remaining US Loop tour, following the silencing of Macklemore by zionist lobbies,” wrote Beoga, citing Ireland’s own history of oppression as did Rowe. “We are Irish people who understand colonialism,” the band continued. “As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be.”
Rowe agreed: “I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”
Lukas Graham, thanked Sheeran for the opportunity but added that: “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,” the band posted, seemingly referring to billionaire Robert Kraft’s role in Macklemore’s removal from the tour.
Check out their messages in full below.
Sheeran is yet to respond to his support acts pulling out.
Speaking from the stage at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore told the crowd that he wanted those in Gaza and the West Bank to know “they have not been forgotten”, adding: “I believe that every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom.”
“I say Free Palestine, free Cuba, Congo, Sudan and Iran and all the people of America who live in fear because of this terrorist organisation ICE,” he continued, before launching into pro-Palestine track ‘Hind’s Hall’ while showing footage of Gaza onscreen.
After his exit from the tour, he told his fans: “In this moment I think it matters. I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families.
“The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.”
Kraft responded to the news in a lengthy statement confirming his part in Macklemore’s removal, sharing that venue “does not provide a platform for hate speech.”
“Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25 and 26 concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line,” he said.
“This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally (including Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan) designated terrorist organisation whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”
He added: “I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate.”
Palestinian campaign groups have also been calling for fans to boycott and for the tour to be cancelled.
