An Israeli-American advocacy group is calling on Ed Sheeran to drop Macklemore from the remaining dates of his Loop Tour, after the rapper used his opening set at MetLife Stadium to deliver a pro-Palestinian speech and perform his protest song "Hind's Hall."
The Israeli-American Council launched the petition on Sunday, directing it at Sheeran, his tour management, the stadiums hosting upcoming shows and promoter Live Nation. It follows Macklemore's Friday night set in East Rutherford, New Jersey, before a crowd at a venue seating more than 80,000.
Macklemore took the stage wearing a keffiyeh draped over his shoulders and told the audience he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten, before calling for "Free Palestine." He then performed "Hind's Hall" while footage from Gaza, pro-Palestinian campus encampments and other political messaging appeared on the stadium's screens. He said he would not let fear, or a desire to keep an audience comfortable, stop him from speaking.
The reaction inside the stadium split. Parts of the crowd cheered. Israeli attendees told Ynet the moment felt like a knife in the heart, describing an ambush at a concert they had come to for the music. The advocacy group StopAntisemitism circulated video of the set on X, saying Jewish ticketholders should not be subjected to that kind of messaging.
