\u2014 Clash Report (@clashreport) September 6, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n He performed his 2024 song Hind\u2019s Hall as footage from Gaza and the occupied West Bank appeared on screens around the stadium, before repeating his pro-Palestinian message during Saturday\u2019s concert.<\/p>\n Macklemore also directly addressed Jewish members of the audience.<\/p>\n \u201cTo all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is criticism of you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cMy message is for peace, love and for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the main reason he had chosen to tour with Ed Sheeran was so \u201cI could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine\u201d.<\/p>\n Why are there calls for him to be dropped?<\/p>\n The Israeli-American Council (IAC) has launched a petition calling on Sheeran and tour organisers to remove Macklemore from his remaining appearances.<\/p>\n There are 10 dates left<\/a> across the US on Sheeran\u2019s tour, and Macklemore is listed as a \u201cspecial guest\u201d for eight of them.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was an Ed Sheeran concert \u2013 not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event,\u201d the lobby group\u2019s petition states.<\/p>\n The IAC accused Macklemore of using \u201cselective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims\u201d and also took issue with his performance of Hind\u2019s Hall.<\/p>\n The song takes its name from Columbia University\u2019s Hamilton Hall, which pro-Palestinian protesters occupied and renamed<\/a> in memory of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n The petition also asks whether Macklemore\u2019s speech, visuals and performance were approved in advance.<\/p>\n \u201cFreedom of expression does not mean freedom from responsibility,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n \u201cYour show. Your stage. Your responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n What has the wider reaction been?<\/p>\n The row has spread across social media, with some Jewish and pro-Israel figures arguing that people who bought tickets to see Sheeran could not have expected such a political intervention from his support act.<\/p>\n US-based Israeli advocate Jordyn Tilchen called for Jewish attendees to be offered refunds and went considerably further in describing the concert as a \u201cNazi rally\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cJewish people are not obligated to experience rhetoric they understand as calling for the destruction of the world\u2019s only Jewish state as some benign prelude to their favourite love songs,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n US pressure group StopAntisemitism, which has previously denounced Ireland as\u00a0an \u201cantisemitic cesspool\u201d, has criticised Macklemore\u2019s performance and called on Sheeran to apologise and issue refunds for the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pop singer Pink shared one of the organisation\u2019s<\/a> videos about the controversy on Instagram which pushed for Sheeran to apologise.\u00a0<\/p>\n Others have praised Macklemore\u2019s activism. Belfast rap group Kneecap shared footage of Macklemore\u2019s performance on social media with the caption: \u201cSolidarity and all respect to Macklemore\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cTo the Zionist lobby if you call out genocide you\u2019re labelled a terrorist \u2013 meanwhile they\u2019re the ones cheering on a genocide and war crimes,\u201d the trio added.<\/p>\n \u201cFreedom for all oppressed people.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s been no independent confirmation that Sheeran personally approved Macklemore\u2019s speech or accompanying visuals in advance.<\/p>\n Has Macklemore spoken about Palestine before?<\/p>\n Yes, Macklemore has been a prominent supporter of Palestinians in recent years.<\/p>\n In October 2023, he was among the artists who signed an Artists4Ceasefire<\/a> letter calling on then-US president Joe Biden for a ceasefire, the release of hostages and humanitarian aid for Gaza.<\/p>\n During a performance in Dublin in 2025<\/a>, he said he has been \u201cso proud\u201d at how \u201cmy Irish brothers and sisters have shown up for the Palestinian people\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n His advocacy became particularly prominent with the release of Hind\u2019s Hall in May 2024. The song supported the pro-Palestinian student protest movement, condemned Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza and criticised the Biden administration\u2019s support for Israel.<\/p>\n we don\u2019t own the earth \u2014 Macklemore (@macklemore) September 27, 2024<\/a> <\/p>\n Macklemore pledged proceeds from the track to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and later released Hind\u2019s Hall 2 featuring Palestinian and Palestinian-American artists.<\/p>\n More than 67,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza by October 2025, according to the territory\u2019s health ministry.<\/p>\n A US-brokered ceasefire came into effect that month, although violence has continued. Gaza\u2019s health ministry says more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began.<\/p>\n UN agency Unicef has also reported<\/a> more than 300 children have been killed since the ceasefire.<\/p>\n ![\"students-with-the-gaza-solidarity-encampment-take-over-hamilton-hall-at-columbia-university-naming-it-hinds-hall-on-tuesday-april-30-2024-in-new-york-columbia-students-for-justice-in-palestine-ca\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1788800293_447_.jpeg\")
\n Students pictured at Columbia University during the protest in 2024. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
don\u2019t own the earth
we killing each other
over some lines in the dirt
we bleed the same blood
feel the same hurt
Palestinian life
does it have the same worth? pic.twitter.com\/Yo4t7JpsxC<\/a><\/p>\n