American rapper Macklemore, excluded from Ed Sheeran’s concerts after comments in favor of the Palestinians, announced Thursday that he was organizing his own tour, the “Free Palestine Tour”, in Europe. His ouster from the opening act of the British pop star’s concerts for calling to “liberate Palestine” caused heated controversy in the United States and beyond.
In response, Macklemore announced that he would perform three concerts at the end of October in London, Paris and Dublin. Other concerts are to follow in the United States and the profits will be donated to pro-Palestinian associations, he said. “What happened to me is beyond what can happen to a single artist,” the 43-year-old rapper said on Instagram.
“It’s 2026. Remaining apolitical in the face of genocide no longer works.”
Macklemore was dropped from the tour last week under pressure from American stadium owners. This decision earned Ed Sheeran, a former street guitarist who became one of the most listened to singers of his generation, an unprecedented deluge of criticism for a musician who had until then been very consensual.
At a concert in Philadelphia on Saturday, he admitted “mistakes” and said the situation in Gaza was “unjustifiable.” Other artists, including Finneas, brother of star Billie Eilish, pulled out of Ed Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
