Grammy winner Macklemore doubled down on his continued support for Palestinians, after his calls last week to “Free Palestine” onstage and the performance of his protest song “Hind’s Hall” drew ire from some Jewish advocacy groups.
On Friday, the “Same Love” and “Thrift Shop” musician took the stage at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium as the opening act for singer Ed Sheeran. During his set, Macklemore criticized Israel for its war on Gaza and its accused genocide of Palestinians. He also projected video footage of pro-Palestinian college encampments as he performed “Hind’s Hall.” Video of the performance spread online, sparking criticism from groups including Stop Antisemitism, which accused Macklemore on Instagram of turning “a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state.” The group also tagged Sheeran, claiming that “concert goers are owed apologies and refunds.”
A representative for Sheeran did not immediately respond on Tuesday to a request for comment.
The Israeli American Council and the Anti-Defamation League also decried Macklemore’s performance on social media, with the former publishing a petition calling on Sheeran to remove the rapper from the remaining shows of his tour. Sheeran’s Loop tour is scheduled to end its North America leg on Nov. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. “Freedom of expression does not give anyone the right to turn someone else’s stage into a platform for political propaganda,” the Israeli American Council said on Instagram. Critics on social media also resurfaced photos more than a decade-old of Macklemore wearing a costume of a “Jewish caricature,” for which he apologized in 2014.
Macklemore returned on Saturday to play MetLife Stadium despite the initial backlash and on Monday shared video of his full introduction to “Hind’s Hall” on social media. “I said Free Palestine. I want those words to be loud and clear so that the people in Gaza all the way to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them,” he tells his MetLife crowd, according to the video.
“To all my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you,” he tells his audience later in the video. “My message is for peace, love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.”
Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Hundreds of Israelis, mostly soldiers, have been killed in continued fighting from wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,650 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Macklemore has been a vocal supporter of Palestine since the attack in 2023. In the videos heard Monday, the rapper also called for liberation in Congo, Sudan and America. “Free all people in America living in fear over this terrorist organization ICE,” he said, adding, “none of us will be free until we are all free.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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