Macklemore is making his stance clear as he doubles down on his onstage “Free Palestine” pleas during Ed Sheeran‘s Loop Tour.
While opening for night two of Sheeran’s New Jersey stop at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, the 4x Grammy winner responded to the outcry around his onstage words the night before, emphasizing that his support for Palestinians is “in no way a criticism” of Jewish people.
“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters; criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, in no way is a criticism of you,” he said on stage. “My message is for peace, love, for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.
Introducing his pro-Palestine protest song “Hind’s Hall”, Macklemore continued, “So, I say Free Palestine, I say free Lebanon, I say free Cuba, I say free Congo, I say free Sudan, free all people in America living in fear over this terrorist organization ICE. None of us will be free until we all are free.”
“Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial,” wrote Macklemore with the video on Instagram.
The post comes after the Israeli-American Council started a petition urging Sheeran to “remove Macklemore” from the remainder of the tour.
“This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event,” the 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.”
Macklemore wrote his 2024 protest anthem “Hind’s Hall” in support of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, named for Columbia students’ renaming of academic building Hamilton Hall to Hind’s Hall, in honor of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed in the Gaza Strip by IDF forces.
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