Macklemore on stage in 2021 Macklemore has spoken out for the first time since being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s current US tour due to comments he made on stage in support of Palestine. Earlier this month, the Grammy-winning rapper voiced his solidarity with Palestine amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East on stage in New Jersey, while serving as Ed’s opening act. “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: ‘free Palestine’,” he told the crowd at the time. “I said, ‘free Palestine!’. “I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza, to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten about them.” View this post on Instagram When footage from this speech began doing the rounds online, it was met with a divided reaction, with the singer Pink resharing a graphic calling for Macklemore to apologise, and the Israeli American Council setting up a petition calling for the Thrift Store singer’s removal from the tour. On Monday night, it was confirmed that Macklemore would no longer be appearing as Ed’s opening act effective immediately, with the musician speaking out shortly afterwards in a lengthy Instagram statement. “I’m not sure how to start this. So I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth,” he began. “Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour. But before I get into it, I want to say something that should be obvious. In this moment, I think it matters.” He wrote: “I am not a victim. Ed Sheeran is not a victim. Pink is not a victim. We have careers, money, opportunities, safety and audiences around the world. Whatever consequences any of us face for what we say, we get to go home to our families. “The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.” Ed Sheeran Macklemore continued: “Ed is my friend. I’ve known him for 13 years. We’ve shared late nights, studio sessions and stages. He has this infectious magic about him that I’ve grown to love. I consider him a brother. And because of that, we’ve had some difficult conversations this past week. The type of talks rooted in love and respect for one another that still end in a place of fundamental disagreement. “Nothing I’m writing here is out of spite or because I want to tear down his character. But as I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened. “Last Monday, in the middle of all the media attention surrounding Pink and what I said [on stage], Ed told me that Robert Kraft called him. We were scheduled to play Gillette Stadium later this month, which is owned by the Kraft Group. Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. “Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues. Ed was in a fucked up position. He knew it. His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. “He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn’t get past his public facing, ‘I don’t take sides’. And I get why people don’t. Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I’ve lost all of those things. “But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed. When one side has the bombs and bottomless financial and military support from America, refusing to take a side doesn’t leave you in the middle. “What I said at MetLife I have been saying on stages around the world for almost three years. So why is it an issue now? Because now I’m sharing a stage with one of the biggest artists in the world, in some of the biggest stadiums in America. At a certain level of exposure, ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too much of a risk. If I kept doing the shows, saying ‘Free Palestine’, with Ed implicitly supporting it, the crowd getting loud and showing undeniable support for Palestinian liberation, what artist might speak out next? The stage becomes resistance. “Maybe that’s why this time it became so important to silence me. And one of the most effective ways to enforce that silence has been to weaponise the accusation of antisemitism.” “Antisemitism is real,” Macklemore continued. “And that is exactly why the word matters too much to be used as a shield against criticism of the Israeli state. When criticising Israel, opposing Zionism or saying ‘Free Palestine’ gets conflated with hatred of Jewish people, it doesn’t protect Jewish people. It protects Israel from accountability.” He then insisted: “I hope this isn’t the end of my relationship with Ed. Thirteen years of friendship doesn’t disappear because of one painful disagreement. “I hope we both continue listening, studying what is happening in Palestine and wrestling with what neutrality means in a moment like this. My door will always be open to continuing that conversation.” Read Macklemore’s full statement below: View this post on Instagram HuffPost UK contacted Ed Sheeran’s team on Monday evening but did not receive a response. Robert Kraft told Rolling Stone that Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour was based on “recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community”. In 2014, Macklemore performed in an outfit that led many critics to claim was inspired by antisemitic tropes and imagery. The rapper later apologised, insisting this had not been his intention. “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 added in his latest statement. “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real.” Ed’s Loop Tour – in support of his 2025 album Play – continues on Saturday night in Philadelphia. READ MORE: Macklemore Dropped As Ed Sheeran's Opening Act After Pro-Palestine Comments On Stage Jane Fonda Brands Antisemitism Claims Against Mark Ruffalo A 'Smear' Hannah Einbinder: 'I See So Many People With Far More Influence Than Me Not Speaking Out'