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IAC Urges Ed Sheeran to Drop Macklemore as Opener After ‘Free Palestine’ Speech

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • The Israeli-American Council called on Ed Sheeran to remove Macklemore from the remainder of the tour after the rapper said “Free Palestine” during an opening set at MetLife Stadium.
  • Macklemore performed “Hind’s Hall” while screens showed footage from Gaza, pro-Palestinian encampments and other political messages.
  • The IAC and StopAntisemitism said concertgoers should not be exposed to what they described as one-sided political propaganda.

The Israeli-American Council has launched a petition urging Ed Sheeran and his management to drop Macklemore from the rest of the tour after the rapper used his opening set to deliver a political message on Palestine.

Macklemore appeared at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey over the weekend wearing a keffiyeh over his shoulders. “I wanted to stand up here on stages across America and say two words that are near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” he told the audience. He also performed “Hind’s Hall,” while screens showed footage from Gaza, pro-Palestinian encampments and other political messages.

I wanted to stand up here on stages across America and say two words that are near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.

· MacklemoreHe made the statement during his opening performance at MetLife Stadium.

StopAntisemitism criticized the performance on X, writing, “Jewish patrons should not be subjected to this propaganda.” In another post, the group said fans paying more than $500 to see Sheeran had been confronted with Macklemore’s “relentless anti-Israel obsession.” It called for apologies and refunds, and referred to Macklemore’s previous appearance dressed as an Orthodox Jew with a prosthetic nose.

Jewish patrons should not be subjected to this propaganda.

· StopAntisemitismThe group criticized Macklemore’s performance in a post on X.

The IAC, which represents more than 150,000 Israeli-Americans, said the event was “an Ed Sheeran concert, not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.” The council said the issue was not whether Macklemore could hold political views, but where to draw the line when an opening act used a global concert platform to advance what it called a one-sided political agenda.

The group also objected to what it described as selective imagery, biased messaging and disputed claims presented to a large audience without context. It said Macklemore’s performance of “Hind’s Hall” was deliberate and linked the song to the campus protest movement, including demonstrations involving trespassing, building occupations, vandalism and other alleged legal violations.

This was an Ed Sheeran concert, not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event.

· Israeli-American CouncilThe council argued that the opening act crossed a boundary by using the concert for political advocacy.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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