Controversial rapper Macklemore has announced a new “Free Palestine" tour just days after his removal from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following his pro-Palestinian Arab remarks during performances earlier this month.
“So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit," Macklemore said Thursday as he announced the new tour. The American rapper said proceeds will benefit organizations supporting Palestinian Arabs.
In a statement, Macklemore said recent events had demonstrated “a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now".
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage," he said. “When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention."
Macklemore said he spent the past week reaching out to other artists who have publicly supported the Palestinian people despite potential consequences. He acknowledged that some aspects of the rapidly organized tour were still being finalized.
“But this is a moment of momentum, and there is work to be done," he said.
The tour is scheduled to begin in Dublin on October 26, followed by performances in Paris on October 29 and London on October 30. Macklemore said US dates will also be announced, with additional tickets set to go on sale next week.
Macklemore had been part of Sheeran’s tour as an opening act before controversy erupted over his performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month. During the shows, he called for a “Free Palestine" and said reaching large American audiences with that message was one reason he had joined Sheeran’s tour.
Macklemore later said he had been removed from the tour and blamed New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, claiming Kraft had spoken with Sheeran and threatened to cancel the singer’s planned concerts if Macklemore remained on the lineup.
Kraft subsequently explained his decision to bar Macklemore from Gillette Stadium, which he owns, citing the rapper’s “recent actions" on stage as well as “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community."
“I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same - peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate," Kraft said.
Sheeran later rejected the suggestion that he had personally decided to remove Macklemore. He said he had spent the previous week speaking with venues after some warned they would withdraw from his concerts if Macklemore continued performing. According to Sheeran, Macklemore's agreement was with the concert promoter rather than with him, and the promoter ultimately made the decision.
The dispute also prompted other artists who had been scheduled to support Sheeran to withdraw.
Sheeran addressed the war in Gaza during a solo concert in Philadelphia on Saturday, describing the situation as “catastrophic and unjustifiable" while saying he wanted his shows to emphasize unity and humanity rather than politics.
“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives," Sheeran said during the concert at Lincoln Financial Field.
“I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry," he added.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Sukkot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)