Pink Responds to Fallout After Sharing Post Criticizing Macklemore’s Speech on Palestine

Pink addressed the backlash she received after she shared an Instagram post that criticized Macklemore ‘s calls to “free Palestine” during an opening performance on Ed Sheeran’s North American tour.

On Friday last week (Sept. 4), Macklemore took to the stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Wearing a kaffiyeh, the rapper addressed the thousands in the crowd. “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” Macklemore said. “I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.” His speech was met with cheers from the crowd while others reportedly walked out during his performance.

Macklemore was met with swift calls to have him removed from the tour. In one post, which Pink reshared on Instagram, the StopAntisemitism account accused Macklemore of ambushing fans at Sheeran’s concert with “anti-Israel propaganda” and said the artist had “accused Israel of a false ‘genocide.'” Per Stereogum , the post called for Macklemore to issue an apology and for ticketholders to be refunded.

In turn, Pink received backlash following her repost. Pink responded to the criticism on Friday (Sept. 11) with a lengthy explanation on social media on why she felt compelled to share the post calling for Macklemore to apologize and why his actions last week alarmed her.

“Last Sunday I reposted somebody else’s post about Macklemore’s set at Ed Sheeran’s show. It said things in words I didn’t write, and I wouldn’t have chosen all of them. Then the comments came, and I did what I do when I’m hurt, which is post snarky memes and act like I’m fine. That’s on me,” wrote Pink. “A repost isn’t a statement, and a meme isn’t a spine. Social media makes all of us cheap and fast, and we all know it.”

She continued, “I was born a Jew. I didn’t pick it, and I’ve never hidden it. And this week a whole lot of people decided what I believe without asking me, without checking a single thing I’ve ever said or done, because a repost and the word ‘Jew’ were apparently enough to fill in the rest.” Pink said that she has never spoken for “Israel, or for any government” and that she still believes “Hamas is a terrorist organization. Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child. Anybody’s child.” Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

The singer pointed to her “decade as a UNICEF ambassador for kids who didn’t choose the country or the war they were born into” and that she “didn’t do it from behind a screen; I went to those children and held them.”

Her three-part statement continued into the comment section of her post.