Rapper Macklemore has pledged to donate his USD 1 million in net earnings from supporting Ed Sheeran on his ongoing Loop Tour to organisations providing aid to Palestinians.In a lengthy statement shared on social media on Wednesday, Macklemore said the donation would be distributed among several organisations working on humanitarian relief, including the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Heal Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA National Committee and Anera.
Macklemore invites Robert Kraft to match donation
The announcement comes days after Macklemore claimed he was dropped from Sheeran’s current tour following his ‘Free Palestine’ comment at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in early September.Macklemore subsequently claimed that billionaire and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had played a role in his removal from the tour. According to the rapper, Kraft had rallied other stadium owners against allowing him to perform at their venues. In his latest post, he invited Kraft to match his USD 1 million donation to Palestinian aid organisations.
Macklemore issues statement
On Wednesday, Macklemore posted another lengthy note on social media that read, “With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.”He went on to write, “I will be donating the entire $1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organisations working directly to support the Palestinian people. And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.”
Macklemore on fighting for Palestine
“It is about Palestinians’ right to freedom, dignity and safety in their own homeland,” he continued and explained, “I want to center the parents carrying their children into hospitals without the basic resources to treat them, and the physicians, paramedics, journalists and aid workers who keep going back in. I want to center the organizers and activists who have paid the real costs for standing with Palestine. Their risk is of a far different order than mine.“Sharing his thoughts about offering monetary aid to the people of Gaza, he said, “Writing a chek is one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me. I am doing it because I can, and because these organizations are doing the work while much of the world debates it.”Calling for political change, he said, “But aid alone cannot address the conditions that make it necessary. This is a manmade injustice and I believe it requires immediate political change. Palestinians have lived for decades without basic rights and should have to wait another say to be free. That is where my focus will remain. I will continue to stand with the Palestinian people and their fight for liberation.”
About the Ed Sheeran concert controversy
Ed Sheeran’s tour of North and South America has been roiled by the decision this week to drop Macklemore as an opener because of the rapper’s onstage pro-Palestinian comments. Since then, all of Sheeran’s other supporting acts have dropped out, including a group that plays with Sheeran during part of the show.Sheeran, who is scheduled to perform in Philadelphia on Saturday, said the decision to cut Macklemore from the Loop Tour was the promoter’s, not his own. The “Thrift Shop” rapper exclaimed “Free Palestine” during the Sept. 5 date in New Jersey.“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you,” he said during the New Jersey concert. “This message is for peace, love, for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”Macklemore has said his removal was the result of an effort led by Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots. His Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where the NFL team plays and where Sheeran is scheduled to perform later this month. Kraft’s involvement was implicitly cited in some of the statements from the supporting acts who left Sheeran’s tour Tuesday, decrying the influence of money.On Wednesday, Macklemore announced he would donate $1 million from his net earnings from the tour to six organizations helping Palestinians, including the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. He challenged Kraft to match the donation.“Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting,” Macklemore wrote.Here’s where things stand with Sheeran’s tour.
Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Beoga all quit
The Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe were scheduled to replace Macklemore as the opening acts on Sheeran’s remaining U.S. tour dates. Finneas, the American singer and close collaborator with sister Billie Eilish, was down to open for Sheeran on four of his South American dates. Beoga, an Irish folk band, had been performing with Sheeran for part of his set since his tour began in January in New Zealand.“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote.The announcements from each supporting act came roughly within an hour of each other Tuesday. Earlier that day, Sheeran posted his own statement blaming the promoter for Macklemore’s removal and maintaining that he refused to be drawn into a public discussion about the war in Gaza.Rowe and Beoga cited their country’s history to explain their decision. “We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be,” Beoga posted.Rowe called Sheeran a friend. “But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” he wrote, adding that he couldn’t “stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up.”Lukas Graham also appeared to take a veiled shot at Kraft, writing: “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”
Sheeran hasn’t commented since supporting acts dropped out
After Macklemore issued a lengthy statement Monday about being removed from the tour, Sheeran took to Instagram to lay out his side.“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” he wrote Tuesday. “I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”Sheeran hasn’t posted since those supporting acts left the tour, and his representative didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment. The promoter, Messina Touring Group, also hasn’t responded to requests for comment.