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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Macklemore calls for a free Palestine during Ed Sheeran concert

From Republika · () Indonesian

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

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Macklemore used his opening performance at Ed Sheeran's concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to voice support for Palestinians.
  • He showed images from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, performed his pro-Palestinian song "Hind's Hall" and called for freedom and peace for people affected by conflicts.
  • Macklemore said criticism of Israel and opposition to genocide should not be understood as hatred toward Jewish people.

Macklemore turned an Ed Sheeran concert before more than 80,000 people into a public call for Palestinian freedom. The U.S. rapper delivered the message while opening Sheeran's Loop tour performance at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Friday, September 4, 2026.

To the people in Gaza all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten you. Every human being living on this earth deserves safety and peace, deserves to hear the sound of laughter in a playground before hearing the sound of bombs.

· MacklemoreHe addressed Palestinians and people living amid conflict during his performance at MetLife Stadium.

Images from Gaza and the occupied West Bank appeared on the stadium screens during his set. Macklemore also performed "Hind's Hall," his pro-Palestinian protest song named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old who died after being shot by Israeli military forces in Gaza in 2024.

Wearing a keffiyeh, Macklemore spoke in support of Palestinians and all people living amid conflict. He said every person had the right to safety and peace. "To the people in Gaza all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten you. Every human being living on this earth deserves safety and peace, deserves to hear the sound of laughter in a playground before hearing the sound of bombs," he said from the stage.

So I call for a free Palestine, a free Lebanon, Cuba, Congo, Sudan, Iran, and the people living in America who have to live in fear because of the terrorist organization ICE.

· MacklemoreHe broadened his call for freedom to several countries and people in the United States.

He extended his calls for freedom to Palestine, Lebanon, Cuba, Congo, Sudan and Iran, as well as people in the United States who, he said, live in fear because of the ICE organization. Macklemore also addressed Jewish listeners directly, saying his criticism targeted Israel's government, apartheid and genocide, not Jewish people. "To all my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, and opposition to genocide are not criticism directed at you at all," he said. He described his message as grounded in peace, love and equality.

To all my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, and opposition to genocide are not criticism directed at you at all.

· MacklemoreHe distinguished criticism of Israel and opposition to genocide from hostility toward Jewish people.
About this summary

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. 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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