Macklemore booted from Ed Sheeran tour over pro-Palestine remarks

Macklemore’s comments were fairly straightforward (and can be read in full here). “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you,” the “Thrift Shop” rapper said at one point. “My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.” Still, that message was met with significant backlash. A few days after the performance, the Israeli-American Council called for Macklemore to be dropped from the concert, offended that someone would use their position on a huge stage to advocate for the end of what the United Nations has determined to be a genocide. (“This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event,” reads the petition, in part.) Macklemore hasn’t yet publicly offered a statement on the latest development, but his most recent social media post remains the speech at MetLife, along with the caption: “Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”