Two Irish acts have pulled out of Ed Sheeran\u2019s US tour after rapper Macklemore said he was dropped from the line-up for saying \u201cFree Palestine\u201d during a concert.<\/p>\n
Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga on Tuesday confirmed they will no longer take part in Sheeran\u2019s North American tour, The Loop. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t take the decision lightly,\u201d Rowe said in a post on social media. \u201cEd has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut as Irish people, we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children. I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dublin singer-songwriter finished the statement with the words: \u201cFREE PALESTINE.\u201d<\/p>\n
Folk band Beoga, who feature on Sheeran\u2019s 2017 song Galway Girl, had been playing alongside the singer at each concert. <\/p>\n
In a statement on social media, the band said they decided to depart the tour \u201cfollowing the silencing of Macklemore\u201d.<\/p>\n
Beoga said: \u201cWe are a traditional Irish band who never saw ourselves playing in stadiums of that size and that opportunity is not lost on us. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been friends with Ed for over 10 years now and will continue to be. We believe in dialogue as a means of progressing the plight of the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs musicians, playing to those crowds every night 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…<\/p>\n
\u201cAs founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheeran\u2019s other support acts, Finneas and Lukas Graham, have also dropped out of the tour in solidarity with Macklemore. <\/p>\n
The controversy began when the rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, said during a concert in New Jersey on September 4th that he wanted people in Gaza<\/a> and the West Bank<\/a> to know they had not been forgotten, telling the crowd: \u201cFree Palestine.\u201d <\/p>\n Following his comments, a petition was launched demanding he be removed from the remaining dates of the tour. The singer Pink was among those to repost a message criticising his comments.<\/p>\n