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On Monday, news broke that Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s North American tour. The decision came after multiple venues hosting future tour dates refused to platform the rapper after he made pro-Palestinian comments on stage during his set.
In a statement, Sheeran said he is “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” calling the suffering on “both sides” a “human tragedy,” but defended his choice not to take a public stance on the issue.
In response, every other musician on the tour — including Sheeran’s backing band — have pulled out.
Today on Commotion, culture critics Jay Smooth, Sara Yasin and Niko Stratis join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to break down what happened, and what it tells us about this moment in politics and culture.
WATCH | Today’s episode on YouTube:
You can listen to the full discussion from today’s show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.
Panel produced by Nikky Manfredi.