Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran tour following Palestine advocacy 

Billionaire Robert Kraft has confirmed that Macklemore has been barred from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, after the rapper said his support for Palestine led to his being dropped from pop star Ed Sheeran’s tour.

Kraft said in a statement received by Al Jazeera on Monday that Macklemore’s recent performances and what he described as a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” led Gillette Stadium, which is owned and operated by the Kraft group, to determine that his appearances there on September 25 and 26 “would cross that line”.

“This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf,” Kraft said. “But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas … whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”

Kraft’s statement came after Macklemore claimed Sheeran informed him that Kraft was barring him from performing at Gillette Stadium. Macklemore also alleged that Kraft had rallied other stadium owners to issue an ultimatum: “If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”

Kraft did not directly address the claim that he had contacted other stadium owners.

Macklemore made the allegations in a lengthy Instagram statement on Monday, the same day promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed that venues had refused to host upcoming shows with the rapper on the lineup.

“I’m not sure how to start this. So I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth,” Macklemore wrote. “Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour.”

But Macklemore said neither he nor Sheeran, nor singer Pink, who had reposted criticism of his performance, were the victims in the controversy.

Messina Touring Group, the tour promoter, confirmed Macklemore’s removal from the tour in a statement to Rolling Stone magazine on Monday⁠.

“We have been notified by venues on the upcoming US tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans,” the Messina Touring Group said. “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

Al Jazeera has not independently verified Macklemore’s account, and neither Sheeran nor his press office has commented.

Macklemore described Sheeran as a close friend of 13 years and said the two had several difficult conversations over the past week.

“He couldn’t get past his public-facing, ‘I don’t take sides,’” Macklemore wrote, referring to Sheeran’s reluctance to take a public stance on Israel’s war on Gaza.

The controversy began after Macklemore’s performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5, where he repeatedly voiced support for Palestinians and performed Hind’s Hall, his protest song inspired by the pro-Palestinian student movement.

The Israeli American Council later launched a petition calling for Macklemore to be removed from Sheeran’s tour. Pink also reposted criticism of the performance that called for an apology and ticket refunds.

Macklemore argued that performing alongside one of the world’s biggest artists had made his advocacy more threatening to those who opposed it.

“If I kept doing the shows, saying Free Palestine, with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestinian liberation, what artist might speak out next?” he wrote.

He said he hoped the dispute would not end his friendship with Sheeran, but made clear he did not regret speaking out.

“Free Palestine,” he said.