Macklemore dropped over free Palestine speech

Macklemore was booted from Ed Sheeran's US tour after provoking outrage by saying 'free Palestine' at one of the stadium stops this month, the US rapper said on Monday.
The artist made headlines after telling the crowd at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey that he wanted the people of Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.
That led to accusations of antisemitism and calls for him to be removed — including from singer Pink.
Stadium owners closed ranks and told the tour organisers that Macklemore was not welcome.
'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', said a statement from Messina Touring Group, which is promoting Sheeran's US Loop Tour.
'After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates'.
Macklemore said on Instagram he hoped the decision would not affect his relationship with his 'friend' Sheeran, who he said was in a difficult position.
'His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before', he wrote.
'I hope this isn't the end of my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship doesn't disappear because of one painful disagreement'.
'But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I've ever been on'.
After the October 2023 Hamas attacks, the Israeli military response killed more than 73,000 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health authority.
Macklemore, known for hits including 'Thrift Shop' and 'Can't Hold Us', has long taken a stand in support of the Palestinians.
In 2024, he released 'Hind's Hall', which pays tribute to Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl whose death sparked a wave of international outrage.
The song's title refers to Columbia University's Hamilton Hall, which student protesters occupied and renamed in Rajab's memory during demonstrations over the war in Gaza. The track backed campus protesters and called for a ceasefire, while criticising US support for Israel and the music industry's silence on the conflict.
The track also criticised then-president Joe Biden and his administration's Israel policy.
Macklemore pledged to donate the song's streaming proceeds to UNRWA, the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees. Its accompanying video featured footage of student demonstrations alongside images of the war.
He first performed the song live at a sold-out concert in Wellington, New Zealand, in May 2024, expressing solidarity with Palestinians. — AFP