Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour after 'free Palestine' speech

Macklemore was booted from Ed Sheeran's US tour after provoking outrage by saying "free Palestine" at one of the stadium stops this month, the US rapper said Monday.

The artist made headlines after telling the crowd at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey that he wanted the people of Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.

That led to accusations of antisemitism and calls for him to be removed -- including from singer Pink.

Stadium owners closed ranks and told the tour organizers that Macklemore was not welcome.

"We have been notified by venues on the upcoming US tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans," said a statement from Messina Touring Group, which is promoting Sheeran's US Loop Tour.

"After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates."

Macklemore said on Instagram he hoped the decision would not affect his relationship with his "friend" Sheeran, who he said was in a difficult position.

"His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before," he wrote.

"I hope this isn't the end my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship doesn't disappear because of one painful disagreement.

"But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most sucessful tour I've ever been on."

After Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people, the Israeli military response killed more than 73,000 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health authority, whose figures the UN considers reliable.

Macklemore, known for hits including "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us," has long taken a stand in support of the Palestinians.

In 2024, he released "Hind's Hall," which pays tribute to Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl whose death sparked a wave of international outrage.