Ed Sheeran censors pro-Palestine supporters: artists backing the cause pull out of his US tour

A storm of controversy is raging against Ed Sheeran and his US tour (‘Tour Loop’), which saw all the support acts pull out within a matter of hours in solidarity with Macklemore: the famous Seattle rapper has been excluded by the organisers from the next eight US dates – where he was originally scheduled to appear as a guest of honour – after coming under fire from pro-Israeli groups and figures for having commemorated, during the first two concerts of the tour in New Jersey, Israel’s victims in the Gaza Strip and chanted the slogan ‘Free Palestine’ (‘Palestina Libera’).

Macklemore’s withdrawal sparked protests, both in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as around the world and online, with accusations of censorship levelled at the promoters and of inconsistency directed at the British pop star. Consequently, within a matter of hours, a domino effect was triggered amongst the other musicians who had been booked to support Sheeran. The first was Aaron Rowe, an up-and-coming Irish singer-songwriter, who stated on social media that he could not accept Macklemore’s attack on freedom of expression and concluded his message by writing: ‘Free Palestine’.

He was followed closely by Finneas O’Connell, the brother, songwriter and producer of Billie Eilish, who stated that “artists must not be silenced when they speak out on behalf of the oppressed”. Finally, it was the turn of the Danish group Lukas Graham and, above all, Beoga, the band that has long accompanied Ed on stage. They drew on their Irish heritage to emphasise that they could not help but stand in solidarity with Palestine, bearing in mind the history of colonialism, British rule and the famines inflicted upon their people throughout history.

Macklemore has claimed in recent days that he was dropped from the tour – following criticism of his pro-Palestinian slogans, which were taken up by groups such as the American-Israeli Council and by artists of Jewish heritage such as Pink – under pressure from the American billionaire Robert Kraft: owner of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots American football team, as well as a friend of Benyamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, who is reported to have threatened to boycott the show at his stadium and at other stadiums owned by business associates if the rapper was not dropped.

Sheeran, for his part, denied having been an ‘accomplice’ in a decision attributed to the organisers, but did not deny having been personally pressured by Kraft; whilst he insisted on describing himself as ‘apolitical’ (despite having taken a stand in the past, for example, against Russia’s war in Ukraine). Criticism of him has come from, amongst others, figures from the British peace-loving left and also from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leading figure in the progressive wing of the US Democratic Party. She has recently spoken openly of ‘censorship and a threat to artistic freedom and freedom of speech’, adding that she is ready to ‘turn off the radio’ the next time she hears Ed Sheeran singing.