The artist who painted a massive Ed Sheeran portrait in Dunedin saysa \u201cFree Palestine\u201d tag slapped across the portrait is a \u201cwelcome addition to the mural\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Bath Street mural of the British singer was created in 2018 by artist Tyler Kennedy Stent before Sheeran played three shows at the Forsyth Barr Stadium.<\/p>\n
This week, the work was vandalised<\/a> on the back of a controversial string of events<\/a> which followed after rapper Macklemore was removed from Sheeran\u2019s tour for making pro-Palestinian comments while performing.<\/p>\n Since then, other supporting acts announced they had also quit the tour in support<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stent said being born in South Africa made him particularly aware of the role international pressure can have on challenging political issues.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 1981 Springbok tour is a powerful example from New Zealand\u2019s own history of people refusing to accept that sport, culture and politics could simply be separated when fundamental human rights were at stake,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe the same responsibility extends to celebrities and others with public platforms and influence.<\/p>\n \u201cTo remain apolitical in the face of serious human rights violations (credible sources such as the UN have documented settler colonialism and grave violations against Palestinians, including sexual and gender-based violence) is not neutral: it enables the status quo to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n Sheeran says the promoters, not him, decided to drop the rapper from the tour over pro-Palestinian comments. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n