Macklemore issues ‘Free Palestine’ plea prompting calls for his removal from Ed Sheeran tour

The rapper launched into a speech during both shows at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Friday (September 4) and last night (September 5) saying that wanted those in Gaza and the West Bank to know “they have not been forgotten” and that “I believe that every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom.”.

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He added: “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” before launching into pro-Palestine track ‘Hind’s Hall’ alongside footage of Gaza onscreen.

Following his plea, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition to Sheeran and his management, urging them to remove Macklemore from the remainder of the tour.

Macklemore opened for Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium wearing a keffiyeh, performed "Hind's Hall" with Gaza footage on the screens, and told 80,000 people he wanted those in Gaza and the West Bank to know "they have not been forgotten.

He said every human being deserves "the… pic.twitter.com/4J7fB1zEI4.

The IAC said the artist had used a “global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda” and added: “This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.”.

The petition added: “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 IAC also called on Sheeran’s team 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.”.

Sheeran and Macklemore are yet to respond to the petition publicly.

Tom Morello hailed the protest song at the time, branding it “the most Rage Against The Machine song since Rage Against The Machine”.

Macklemore followed the track with a sequel featuring Palestinian-American artists Anees and Amer Zahr, Gaza-born rapper MC Abdul, and vocals from the Los Angeles Palestinian Kids Choir that same year.

A United Nations Commission concluded last year that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and said recently that genocidal acts were continuing through attacks targeting children.

Amnesty International also concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

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