Massive Attack, Garbage, and Roger Waters have all called out Ed Sheeran following Macklemore’s removal from the pop superstar’s tour over his “Free Palestine” statements. A group of American stadium owners, led by Robert Kraft, succeeded in removing Macklemore as an opening act after the rapper made “Free Palestine” comments on September 4th and 5th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In a statement, Sheeran said the decision was made by promoters and venues, not by him, and that he made efforts to find a resolution to keep Macklemore on the tour.
Reactions from the Music Industry
“No artist should tolerate the censorship of another artist, however many millions of dollars are in play,” Massive Attack wrote on Instagram. “We stand in solidarity with all artists risking their careers in defense of the rights of the Palestinian people, & against the illegal occupation, apartheid, war crimes & ongoing genocide perpetrated by the State of Israel.”
Pushing back against Sheeran’s apolitical stance in the statement addressing the departure, the trip-hop pioneers added, “Entertainment can never be bigger than resisting the apartheid & genocide of fellow human beings. ‘Neutrality’ in the face of the slaughter of more than 20,000 children can never be neutrality… The arc of state, corporate & media silence that allowed a genocide to take place seeks to coerce high profile artists & actors into that silence.”
History of Activism
Massive Attack have consistently been among the most outspoken voices against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Earlier this year, they were banned from Singapore after displaying the Palestinian flag during a July 29th concert. That incident came after member Robert Del Naja was arrested during an April pro-Palestine protest in London. Last summer, the band launched an alliance for musicians who have been threatened with “attempted censorship” over their pro-Palestine views.
Solidarity from Other Artists
In Garbage’s most recent statement, the group said that the “global consciousness has shifted” after “decades of Israeli persecution and genocidal intent against the Palestinian people.” That shift includes the withdrawal of Sheeran’s remaining openers and backing band in solidarity with Macklemore.
“We are witnessing one of the biggest artists in the world being cancelled because they tried to ‘both sides’ Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people,” Garbage wrote on Instagram. “The normalization of an apartheid state, and the attempts to sanitize or justify its actions, will no longer be tolerated. Ed, there is only one victim here: the Palestinian people. Every artist dropping out of the tour, and every fan cancelling their ticket, is choosing to stand with their conscience rather than participate in complicity with apartheid and genocide.”
A Call to Action
Roger Waters, a longtime advocate for Palestinian rights and the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, posted an Instagram video directly addressing Sheeran.
“There’s two kinds of people in this world,” the former Pink Floyd member said. “There’s people who do the right thing — that rapper Macklemore would be one of those people — and there’s people, many of them sadly little ff… — excuse me I nearly used the F-word then — pricks like you who do the wrong thing. Goodbye.”
The controversy surrounding Ed Sheeran’s tour has sparked a larger conversation about the music industry’s role in promoting social justice and human rights. As more artists speak out in solidarity with Macklemore and the Palestinian people, it remains to be seen how Sheeran will respond to the backlash and whether he will take a stronger stance on the issue.
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