Greta Thunberg speaks out on Ed Sheeran’s “lack of spine” on Palestine, says “if we ourselves are not stepping out of our comfort zones, we are not doing enough”

Greta Thunberg has called out Ed Sheeran ‘s “lack of spine” on Palestine, and urged people not to follow suit, encouraging them to step out of their comfort zones in the fight against genocide.

READ MORE: Here’s what went down at ‘Together For Palestine’, with Damon Albarn, Brian Eno, Richard Gere, Florence Pugh and more The environmental activist, who last year was abducted in international waters and illegally detained in an Israeli prison while attempting to break their blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to the occupied Gaza Strip, made her comments in a recent Instagram video.

“Yes, Ed Sheeran should be accountable for his lack of spine,” it begins.

“But remember that we have to continuously apply the same pressure on all those complicit in all genocides.

The bigger your platform and your access to resources, the bigger your responsibility.

“But [it is] also on ourselves and the institutions that we are part of, where we have to push for boycotts, sanctions, and divestments.

If we ourselves are not stepping out of our comfort zones, we are not doing enough.

And remember, silence is complicity, and you cannot be neutral in a genocide.

The new video arrives after Sheeran drew significant controversy after former opener Macklemore was dropped from the singer’s ‘Loop’ tour over his pro-Palestine comments , which was inflamed by Sheeran’s subsequent speech about trying “not be a political commentator of any kind” throughout his career.

View this post on Instagram Sheeran returned to the stage in Philadelphia on Saturday (September 19) and admitted making “mistakes” over the Macklemore row , telling the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field that the fallout had made him question whether he wanted “to be an artist at all”.

“I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry,” he said.

Sheeran also said he had never intended to be “an activist musician”, but that the controversy had placed him at the centre of “an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech”.

“I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should pre-approve content for performers,” he told the audience.

“This happens in so many places that I perform around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.” Turning to Gaza, he added: “I’ve tried in my career to not be a political commentator of any kind because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division, about humanity, not politics.