Macklemore calls for a ‘free Palestine’ during Ed Sheeran shows, prompting praise and backlash

Rights advocates, journalists and social media users have come out in support of the American rapper Macklemore in response to pressure from pro-Israel groups for expressing support for Palestine in his opening act performances for Ed Sheeran in the United States.

Footage from Gaza and the occupied West Bank was displayed on screens as Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, performed in front of more than 80,000 people in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Friday and Saturday as part of English singer-songwriter Sheeran's Loop tour. 

Macklemore performed "Hind’s Hall", a pro-Palestine anthem in support of anti-genocide campus protests in the US, and named after five-year-old Hind Rajab, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024.

He also wore a keffiyeh and made an impassioned speech in which he spoke in support of Palestinians and other peoples living under conflict.

“To the people in Gaza and all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten about you… Every single human being that walks this earth deserves safety and peace before knowing the sounds of violence, to know the sound of laughter on a playground before the sound of planes and bombs," he said on Friday.

"So I say free Palestine, free Lebanon, free Cuba to the Congo to Sudan to Iran to the people living in America that have to live in fear because of the terrorist organisation ICE."

The "Thrift Shop" rapper also addressed the Jewish community, saying: “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is criticism of you.

"My message is for peace, love and for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality."

While many fans praised Macklemore, several pro-Israel accounts, including "Stop Antisemitism", lambasted his performance, labelling it "propaganda" and "anti-Israel". 

The Anti-Defamation League said Macklemore was “falsely accusing Israel of genocide and engaging in antisemitic rhetoric and behavior”. 

Both organisations have been denounced by pro-Palestinian groups and advocates for describing Palestinian rights movements as antisemitic.

The UN, international rights organisations and top scholars of genocide have all concluded that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.

The Israeli American Council (IAC) launched a petition on Sunday to pressure Sheeran to drop Macklemore as his opening act from future tour dates, accusing the rapper of using "selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact, without context or complexity".

"Keep Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour about music - not political propaganda," the petition continued.

But Macklemore’s speech and performance continued to garner support online from people calling the artist “courageous” and “brave”, and many accusing the pro-Israel accounts and organisations of trying to clamp down on free speech. 

"The greatest threat to free speech in the West, by far, is Israel and its western loyalists attempting to use all weapons to criminalize, banish and punish criticisms of Israel by pretending that it's anti-Semitic," posted journalist Glenn Greenwald.

Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap were among those who came out in public support for Macklemore, posting: “To the Zionist lobby if you call out genocide you're labelled a terrorist - meanwhile they're the ones cheering on a genocide and war crimes. Freedom for all oppressed people.” 

Several people online highlighted that Macklemore has been a consistently outspoken advocate for Palestine. 

“No one attending should have been the least bit surprised” about his performance, said one user, with another adding that “it also says a lot about Ed Sheeran for inviting him to do his first part when he has been so consistently supportive of Palestine”. 

Some fans also praised Sheeran, and urged him to ignore the backlash. 

Middle East Eye has contacted Sheeran for comment.