A petition is demanding that Ed Sheeran remove Macklemore from the remaining dates of the Loop Tour after the rapper used his opening set to deliver a pro-Palestinian speech and perform his 2024 protest song "Hind's Hall."
Macklemore took the stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Friday (Sept. 4), wearing a kaffiyeh that’s associated with solidarity for the Palestinian cause, and addressed a crowd in excess of 80,000 people.
"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 told the crowd. "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."
During "Hind's Hall," footage from Gaza and pro-Palestinian demonstrations played on the stadium screens. Macklemore also tied the message to a personal note, describing the fear he said he felt before the show and invoking his 11-year-old daughter.
"I want it to be the most beautiful possible," he said of her world. "And I think that every single human being that walks this earth deserves that exact same feeling.
"I say, free Palestine! I say, free America, free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran, and all the people in America who have to live in fear because of this terrorist organization ICE," he continued.
The Israeli-American Council filed the petition via Monday.com targeting Sheeran, his management, venue leadership, and concert promoter Live Nation. The group demanded tour leadership to clarify whether Macklemore's speech, visual content, and choice of song were approved in advance.
"This was an Ed Sheeran concert, not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event," the council wrote in the petition. "Freedom of expression does not mean freedom from responsibility. Your show. Your stage. Your responsibility."
The Loop Tour will also include Lukas Graham and BIIRD in opening acts.
