Macklemore Delivers “Free Palestine” Speech on Ed Sheeran Tour as Israeli American Council Demands His Removal

Macklemore is using his role as Ed Sheeran’s opening act on a North American stadium tour to deliver an explicitly political message from the stage. Partway through his Friday set at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, he gave a version of the speech he has repeated on the tour, then posted video of it to Instagram.

He told the crowd that saying “Free Palestine” from large U.S. stages was one of the reasons he agreed to join the tour. He addressed Gaza and the occupied West Bank and linked the next song to the Columbia University student encampment movement. That song, “Hind’s Hall,” was released two years ago and references student protestors and Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed with her family in Gaza.

Macklemore also spoke directly to Jewish listeners, saying that criticism of Israel, apartheid, or being against genocide is not criticism of Jewish people. He extended the message to Lebanon, Cuba, Congo, Sudan, and what he called the “terrorist organization ICE,” closing with the line that none of us are free until all of us are free.

The Israeli American Council responded with a petition titled “Ed Sheeran – Your Show. Your Stage. Your Responsibility!” It argues that the concert should not become a political rally and asks Sheeran to drop Macklemore from the bill. The petition does not dispute his right to hold political views, but objects to an opening act using the platform for what it calls a “one-sided political agenda.”