Macklemore has responded to the backlash over his opening performance for Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where he called for a “free Palestine” and performed his anti-Israel protest song Hind’s Hall. During his second appearance at the stadium Saturday, the rapper said his criticism of Israel was not directed at Jewish people, while repeating severe accusations against the country.
“To all my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid and opposition to genocide are in no way criticism of you,” Macklemore said, according to reports in U.S. media. “My message is peace and love, and that all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and equality.”
Macklemore
(Photo: Yaniv Levin)
He then broadened his remarks, saying: “So I call to free Palestine, free Lebanon, free Cuba, free Congo, free Sudan and free all the people in America who are living in fear of this terrorist organization, ICE. None of us are free until all of us are free.” Macklemore later posted video of the remarks on social media, writing: “Wanting all human beings to be treated equally should never be controversial.”
The controversy began during his first opening set Friday, when Macklemore told the crowd that one reason he joined Sheeran’s tour was the opportunity to perform in stadiums across the United States and call for a “free Palestine.” “I want those words to be heard loud and clear, so that the people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them,” he said. He then performed Hind’s Hall, a song inspired by the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, as images from Gaza appeared on the stadium screens.
Israelis attending the concert told ynet they were stunned to discover that Macklemore was one of Sheeran’s opening acts. “We were in shock. It was really awful,” Noya Zoaretz and Gefen Levin said. “It was even harder because friends of ours were killed in the war and murdered at Nova. It was like a knife in the heart to hear him sing like that and hear the crowd cheering.”
Following the performance, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling on Sheeran to remove Macklemore from the remaining dates on which he is scheduled to open during the U.S. tour. “This was an Ed Sheeran concert, not a political rally, protest or activist event,” the petition said. “The question is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views, but where the line is drawn when an opening act uses a global stage to promote a one-sided political agenda.”
Macklemore is scheduled to continue appearing alongside Sheeran through November. As of publication, Sheeran had not publicly addressed the controversy or calls to remove the rapper from the tour.