Macklemore's statements on Palestine at Ed Sheeran concerts spark calls for his removal from the tour
American rapper Macklemore has found himself at the center of a new debate over the boundaries of political messages at major concerts after publicly expressing support for Palestinians during two performances as part of Ed Sheeran's tour at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. At the concerts on September 4 and 5, 2026, he delivered the message "Free Palestine", spoke about civilians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, and performed his protest song "Hind's Hall" accompanied by projections related to Gaza and pro-Palestinian protests. Following those performances, the Israeli-American Council (IAC) launched a petition calling on Ed Sheeran, his tour management and organizers of future concerts to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates on which he is announced as an opening act. Reactions from the audience and the public were divided: some concertgoers and Jewish organizations argued that such a political message did not belong at a concert, while others defended musicians' right to use the stage to speak about human rights. As of September 8, Sheeran had not publicly announced a decision on Macklemore's status, and his official website continued to list the American rapper as support on a number of upcoming concerts.
Two performances at MetLife Stadium turned into a political issue
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, performed as one of the acts appearing before Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. According to reports by American and international media and video footage from the performance, during his set on September 4 he said that one of the reasons he wanted to be part of the tour was the opportunity to deliver a message of support for Palestinians in front of large stadium audiences. He said he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know that they had not been forgotten and spoke about the equal right of all people to safety, peace and dignity. On stage he wore a keffiyeh, and during the performance of "Hind's Hall", the large screens showed images connected with Gaza, the West Bank and pro-Palestinian protests. He repeated a similar political segment of the performance the following evening, September 5, when he again spoke openly about Palestine.
His messages were not limited solely to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. According to reports by TheWrap, Variety and other media outlets, Macklemore also mentioned Lebanon, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Iran during the second performance, and sharply criticized the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE. This combination of international political issues and domestic American topics further emphasized the activist character of his performance. For part of the audience, it represented a continuation of the tradition in which musicians use the stage for political speech, while others believed they had bought tickets for a concert, not a political rally. It was precisely this difference in expectations that became the center of the controversy that spread across social media and the news media after the concerts.
IAC calls for removal from the tour and clear rules for political messages
Following the concerts, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition addressed to Sheeran, the tour management and representatives of venues and stadiums hosting future performances. The organization claims that Macklemore, as an opening act, used a major concert platform for a one-sided political message and that organizers should establish a boundary between artistic expression and political activism within the headliner's program. The petition specifically requested clarification on whether Macklemore's speech, visual material and performance of "Hind's Hall" had been approved in advance. The IAC said that this was an Ed Sheeran concert, not a political rally, and called for the rapper to be removed from the remaining dates on which he is scheduled to perform. The organization also wants the tour to establish clearer rules regarding the use of the stage for political messages.
Criticism also emerged among some concertgoers, including certain Jewish and Israeli spectators who described the performance in the media and on social networks as unexpected and disturbing. Some organizations dealing with antisemitism claimed that the messages and visual materials were inappropriate for an audience that had come to a pop concert. At the same time, other concertgoers and social media users supported Macklemore, emphasizing that for decades music has also served as a space for political protest and that publicly advocating for the rights of civilians is not incompatible with a concert. The available reports therefore do not indicate a uniform audience reaction: Macklemore received both approval and harsh criticism, and the dispute quickly turned into a broader discussion about the responsibility of performers, organizers and the tour's main headliner.
Macklemore said criticism of Israeli policy is not an attack on Jews
Following the initial reactions, Macklemore did not withdraw his message. On September 7, he posted a recording of his concert speech on social media and wrote that wanting equal treatment for all people should not be controversial. During the second performance, he directly addressed Jewish members of the audience, emphasizing that his criticism of Israeli policy and his claims about apartheid and genocide should not be interpreted as criticism of Jews. According to TheWrap, he said his message was directed toward peace, love, dignity and equality for all people. In doing so, he attempted to clearly distinguish his opposition to the actions of the Israeli state from his position toward the Jewish community as a religious and ethnic group.
That distinction is important because discussions about the war in Gaza, Israeli policy and Palestinian rights often become intertwined with questions of antisemitism, anti-Zionism and political activism, but these concepts are not synonymous. Macklemore's critics believe that his stage performance used a one-sided interpretation of the conflict and strong characterizations that are legally and politically disputed. His supporters, on the other hand, argue that it constitutes legitimate political speech and a humanitarian appeal. From a journalistic perspective, it is important to distinguish these positions from the factual description of the event itself: it has been confirmed that the rapper delivered pro-Palestinian messages, that he used terms such as "apartheid" and "genocide", that he performed "Hind's Hall", and that the IAC subsequently called for his removal from the tour. It has not, however, been confirmed that Sheeran accepted the request or that the tour changed its program.
For now, Macklemore remains an opening act on the official schedule
According to Ed Sheeran's official website, reviewed on September 8, 2026, Macklemore is still listed as a supporting performer at eight upcoming American stadium concerts. The first is scheduled for September 19 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, followed by two performances in Foxborough on September 25 and 26. After that, the schedule includes Atlanta on October 3, Indianapolis on October 10, Charlotte on October 17, Arlington, Texas, on October 24, and Tampa on November 7. For two concerts in Hollywood, Florida, on October 29 and 30, the official website lists only Aaron Rowe as support, without Macklemore. This means that the current official schedule may change, but as of September 8 there is no public confirmation that the rapper has been removed from dates on which he had already been announced.
As of the same date, Ed Sheeran had not publicly commented on the petition or on the political messages delivered by his opening act, according to the latest available media reports. Nor does the fact that Macklemore is still listed on the official website by itself mean that a final decision has been made about the entire tour; it only reflects the currently published schedule. For organizers, the next concert featuring Macklemore, on September 19 in Philadelphia, will be the first practical test following the controversy in New Jersey. If the program is changed, it could demonstrate how much influence pressure from interest groups and audience reactions can have on the content of stadium tours. If the schedule remains unchanged, attention will probably also focus on whether the rapper repeats the same political segment.
"Hind's Hall" has already been part of Macklemore's political activism for two years
The controversy at MetLife Stadium was not Macklemore's first public statement about Palestine. Back in 2024, he released "Hind's Hall", a song created during major pro-Palestinian student protests at American universities. The title refers to Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York, a building that protesters occupying it in April 2024 symbolically renamed "Hind's Hall" in memory of Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed in Gaza earlier that year. Reuters reported at the time that students displayed a banner bearing that name during the occupation of the building, and police later removed protesters from the premises. Through the song, Macklemore openly supported the student movement and called for an end to the violence in Gaza.
When releasing the song, he stated that streaming proceeds would be directed to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. Pitchfork and other music media noted that the announcement formed an integral part of the song's launch, while UNRWA was at the time one of the key humanitarian actors in Gaza. Macklemore also became involved with the Artists4Ceasefire initiative, a collective of artists and public figures that since 2023 has called for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians. On its official website, the initiative continued in 2026 to highlight its demand for a permanent ceasefire, civilian safety and a political solution that would guarantee freedom and security for Palestinians and Israelis. For that reason, his performance in New Jersey was not a sudden change in his public position, but a continuation of activism that has lasted for years.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains a difficult part of the broader context
The political sensitivity of Macklemore's statements is further heightened by the fact that the debate is taking place while the humanitarian consequences of the years-long conflict remain extremely severe. On September 2, 2026, just a few days before the concerts in New Jersey, the United Nations reported that the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory remained "deeply alarming". According to data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, most of Gaza's approximately 2.1 million residents remained displaced, while airstrikes, armed incidents, movement restrictions and funding shortages made it difficult to normalize life and carry out the work of humanitarian organizations. OCHA also stated that a large part of the population was concentrated in a limited area and that the humanitarian system faced serious problems with access and resources. Such circumstances keep the issue of Gaza high on the international political and cultural agenda.
At the same time, following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the extensive Israeli military operation that followed, the conflict went through several phases, including the ceasefire agreement of October 2025. According to United Nations documents from 2026, that framework reduced the intensity of fighting and enabled progress on the hostage issue, but violations, attacks and civilian casualties did not cease entirely. This is precisely why political messages about Gaza remain especially polarizing: different communities may perceive the same rhetoric as a humanitarian appeal, an accusation against the State of Israel, a disregard for Israeli victims, or an attempt to draw attention to Palestinian suffering. The concert in New Jersey demonstrated how quickly those global divisions can move into the sphere of popular culture.
The debate goes beyond one rapper and one tour
The case involving Macklemore and Sheeran's "Loop" tour has once again raised an old question: what can audiences expect when an artist incorporates a political message into a commercial concert? Popular music has a long history of protest songs and performances connected with war, civil rights, racism, migration, LGBT rights and other social issues. At the same time, stadium tours are complex commercial projects in which the headliner, opening acts, promoters, venues, sponsors and ticket holders do not necessarily share the same political views. When an opening act uses the stage for a message that strongly divides the public, the question is no longer only what the performer is allowed to say, but also who bears the reputational and business responsibility for the content of the entire event.
In this case, the IAC emphasizes the responsibility of Ed Sheeran and the organizers to determine the boundaries of the program, while Macklemore's response makes clear that he considers political speech an integral part of his own artistic and public identity. His performance was not secretly inserted into the program: he had been officially announced as an opening act, and his years-long engagement on Palestine and the song "Hind's Hall" are publicly known. However, it is not known whether the specific speech and visual projections had been agreed in advance with the organizers of Sheeran's tour, which is one of the questions raised in the IAC petition. The answer to that question could be important for understanding whether this was an individual decision by the performer or content that the production had accepted in advance.
For now, the most important fact is that the call for Macklemore's removal has not resulted in a publicly confirmed change to the tour. As of September 8, the official schedule still lists him for eight future American stadium performances, and Sheeran has not announced a public decision that would change that. Instead of withdrawing, Macklemore further explained that he sees his messages as a call for equal rights and peace, rather than an attack on Jews. As a result, the controversy from New Jersey continues beyond the stadium: as a dispute about performers' political responsibility, the boundaries of artistic expression and the way global conflicts enter mainstream entertainment. The next announced joint concert in Philadelphia will therefore be watched not only as a musical event but also as an indicator of whether the pressure following the MetLife Stadium performances will have concrete consequences for the remainder of the tour.
Sources:
- Ed Sheeran - official schedule of the "Loop" tour and list of opening acts for upcoming concerts (link)
- TheWrap - Macklemore's statements from the second concert, response to criticism and context of the Israeli-American Council petition (link)
- Jewish Telegraphic Agency - report on the MetLife Stadium performances, the content of the petition and reactions following the concerts (link)
- NME - details of the speech, performance of "Hind's Hall" and demand for Macklemore to be removed from the tour (link)
- United Nations / OCHA - state of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territory in early September 2026 (link)
- Artists4Ceasefire - goals of the initiative and calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages and humanitarian aid (link)
- Reuters - 2024 report on the occupation of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University and the name "Hind's Hall" (link)
- Pitchfork - release of the song "Hind's Hall" and announcement that streaming proceeds would be donated to UNRWA (link)