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Rapper Macklemore has announced a “Free Palestine” tour days after being removed from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following pro-Palestinian remarks he made onstage earlier this month, according to AFP.
“As you all know, my schedule freed up a bit,” the American artist, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, said while announcing the tour on Thursday. He said proceeds would go to organisations supporting Palestinians.
Tour dates announced in Europe
The tour will begin in Dublin on 26 October, followed by performances in Paris on 29 October and London on 30 October. Macklemore said US dates would be announced later, with additional tickets expected to go on sale next week.
He acknowledged that some details were still being finalised because the tour had been organised quickly. “This is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done,” he said.
Macklemore criticises censorship of artists
In a statement, Macklemore said recent events had demonstrated “a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation” and raised questions about the influence of wealthy individuals over artists’ platforms.
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage,” he said. “When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.”
Macklemore said he had spent the previous week contacting artists who had publicly supported Palestinians, regardless of the potential consequences.
Dispute over Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s tour
During a concert in New Jersey in early September, Macklemore said he wanted to use stadium performances to say “Free Palestine”. He later performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University.
He was removed from Sheeran’s tour on 14 September and subsequently accused stadium owners of working together to force him out. Billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft also accused him of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric related to Israel and Gaza.
Sheeran said the decision had been made by concert promoter “Messina Touring Group”, rather than by him personally. The singer’s other support acts later withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, while fans voiced frustration and ticket prices fell.
Sheeran addressed the controversy during a performance in Philadelphia last week, saying he had made “mistakes” in handling the fallout and apologising to fans. He described the Israel-Gaza conflict as a humanitarian issue, calling the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks “horrific” and the situation in Gaza “unjustifiable and disproportionate”.
