IN BRIEF
- US rapper Macklemore said he was dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour this week after making pro-Palestinian comments.
- He said on Monday that several US venues had vowed to prohibit him from appearing as Sheeran's opening act.
Four supporting acts have quit Ed Sheeran's tour after the rapper Macklemore was removed for pro-Palestinian comments he made during a concert in New Jersey.
Hours after Sheeran posted on social media about Macklemore's ouster and attributed the decision to the tour's promoters, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, the Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas posted on Instagram that they would withdraw from Sheeran's tour.
Rowe was one of Macklemore's replacements for Sheeran's remaining US dates, while Beoga was serving as Sheeran's touring band. Finneas, who is Billie Eilish's brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year.
Rowe and Beoga each cited their country's history in their statements explaining their decision.
"We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be," Beoga said.
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Rowe called Sheeran a friend and said he'd changed his life.
"But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation," he said, saying he could not "stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up".
Finneas, who has publicly advocated for Palestinians in the past, reiterated his support.
"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," he wrote.
Lukas Graham, meanwhile, expressed gratitude toward Sheeran and called it "a difficult decision".
"Money doesn't give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we're allowed to acknowledge," the band posted, seemingly referring to billionaire Robert Kraft's role in Macklemore's removal from the tour.
Dropping Macklemore was 'promoter's decision', Sheeran says
Sheeran weighed in on Macklemore being dropped as his opening act after the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments onstage during their tour, saying the decision was made by the promoters alone. The British singer also said he refused to be drawn into a public discussion about the war in Gaza.
"Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine," Sheeran wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. "I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living."
Sheeran's statement came a day after Macklemore said he was kicked off the Loop Tour after exclaiming "Free Palestine!" during the September 5 date at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium while introducing his protest song Hind's Hall.
"To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you," he said during the concert.
Macklemore said Monday on Instagram that several US venues told the promoter they would prohibit him from performing as Sheeran's opening act, rallied by Robert Kraft, owner of the NFL's New England Patriots. His Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play.
In a statement on Monday, Kraft said the decision to cancel Macklemore was a result of his recent comments "and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community".
Sheeran said in his latest post that he "spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge", but that "the venue's and promoter's decision was final".
A growing chorus of organisations and experts say Israel's wartime actions in Gaza amount to genocide — an accusation Israel vehemently rejects.
In his social media statement, Sheeran said that, while he respected Macklemore's "strength of purpose", he tries to use his music to "bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together" and that while he has personal views about "this devastating conflict", he chooses not to speak publicly because people who come to his shows "do not expect a political forum".
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