Macklemore speaks out after being dropped from Ed Sheeran tour over ‘Free Palestine’ comments: “I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world…at a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk”

Macklemore has spoken out today (September 14) after being dropped from the upcoming Ed Sheeran tour over his recent “Free Palestine” comments.

READ MORE: Ed Sheeran – ‘Play’ review: a hasty retreat to the genre-spanning of old It comes after the musician recently responded to critics of his onstage pleas for a “Free Palestine”, saying striving for equality “should never be controversial”.

After making an impassioned speech calling for “all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality” while opening for Sheeran across recent dates in New Jersey, the rapper faced calls for his removal from the tour by the Israeli-American Council , who claimed he had used his platform to “advance a one-sided political agenda”.

Speaking from the stage at MetLife Stadium recently, Macklemore told the crowd that he wanted those in Gaza and the West Bank to know “they have not been forgotten”, adding: “I believe that every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom.” “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,” he continued, before launching into pro-Palestine track ‘Hind’s Hall’ while showing footage of Gaza onscreen.

Now, it’s been announced that the musician has been dropped from the tour following the comments.

In a statement shared with Rolling Stone , Messina Touring Group, promoter of the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, said: “As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S.

Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. 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.

After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.” Macklemore later responded on Instagram with a lengthy statement in which he claimed that after Robert Kraft — the owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium — started a campaign against Sheeran.

“Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” Macklemore wrote on his Instagram account.

“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.” NME has reached out to representatives of Kraft and Sheeran for comment.

View this post on Instagram He went on to call Sheeran a “friend” and said the musician “was in a fucked up position.” Macklemore continued: “His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before.