American rapper Macklemore was removed from the rest of Ed Sheeran’s US tour after chanting “Free Palestine” and declaring his support for Palestinians during a concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4, 2026. Tour organizers said the venues hosting upcoming shows had told them they would not allow any performance featuring Macklemore.
The petition and chant that preceded the removal
The decision came after the Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling for his removal from the tour. During a roughly two-minute speech onstage, Macklemore said he wanted to tell the people of Gaza and the occupied West Bank that they had “not been forgotten” before chanting “Free Palestine” to the audience.
He added that refusing to express what he believed in to protect his own comfort and that of the audience meant he no longer deserved to be onstage. During his performance of the protest song “Hind’s Hall,” the artist displayed images of destruction caused by Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Rights groups criticize Macklemore’s removal
The decision drew criticism from activists and journalists who saw it as an attempt to silence an artist over his position on the Palestinian cause. Journalist Mehdi Hasan described the removal as “insanity,” while writer and journalist Owen Jones accused Sheeran of “absolute cowardice.” Activists also called for boycotts of the remaining shows and ticket refunds.
Commenting on a clip of Macklemore, the Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations said that wanting to treat all people equally “should never be controversial.” Amnesty International USA said voices defending human rights “should never be silenced.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, condemned Macklemore’s removal, saying reports indicated that Robert Kraft and other stadium owners had pressured Sheeran because of the rapper’s support for Palestinians and opposition to the war on Gaza. The council called on Sheeran and the tour organizers to reverse the decision and consider legal options or reschedule the shows.
The council also called on the venues hosting the shows, particularly facilities owned by government entities, to clarify whether they had participated in the pressure that led to Macklemore’s removal, arguing that public facilities cannot impose censorship that violates the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
