DAYS after singer Ed Sheeran announced that an artist had been dropped from his US tour over their support for the Palestine cause, all other musical acts set to perform with him bowed out in support of rapper Macklemore.
On Tuesday, Sheeran defended his decision to drop Macklemore from the tour, saying that he was axed following threats from venue owners — including Robert Kraft, an American billionaire with ties to Israel — saying they would not allow shows to proceed if Macklemore was performing.
One of the most prominent faces in the recent campaign against Macklemore, Kraft, is an alumnus of Columbia University. He suspended his family’s financial support of the institution in the wake of pro-Palestine student protests, saying he was “not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken”.
In an Instagram post, Sheeran claimed that he spent a week talking to venues and to “promoters, along with activists on both sides” to try and come to a resolution, “but the venues’ and promoters’ decision was final”.
Insisting that he would never let down his fans, or abandon people attached to his tour, Sheeran claimed the decision to boot Macklemore from the tour came from the promoter.
“There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics — my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum,” he wrote.
But the backlash to Sheeran’s statement was severe. Singer Finneas, who was set to support Sheeran in six shows in November, withdrew from the tour on Tuesday saying, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Irish singer Aaron Rowe, who had 10 upcoming shows on Sheeran’s tour, called the singer a friend, but said he couldn’t continue to be part of the tour.
Irish pop group Beoga, who also serve as Sheeran’s backing band, said: “As musicians, playing to [crowds as big as Sheeran’s] is the stuff of dreams, but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.”
Danish pop band Lukas Graham also dropped out of the tour on Tuesday. “We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them,” wrote lead singer Lukas Forchhammer on the band’s social media accounts.
Macklemore has been outspoken about his support for Palestine, but this recent controversy comes after the rapper addressed one of Sheeran’s concerts in New York on September 4. His calls for a “Free Palestine” on stage sparked a petition from the American Israeli Council wishing to see him booted from the tour.
He responded to the backlash by releasing a speech from the venue on Instagram, where he reiterated his stance and said he wanted the words to be loud and clear, “so the people from Gaza all the way to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them”.
The rapper made these remarks before performing ‘Hind’s Hall’, his 2024 protest song paying tribute to students at New York’s Columbia rallying against Israel’s war on Gaza and renaming one of their campus halls of residence after Hind Rajab — a six-year-old girl killed by Israel in 2024.
Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2026
