Macklemore has announced he will donate the $1 million he earned from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to organizations supporting Palestinian civilians. The decision follows his removal from the tour’s remaining dates after he called to “free Palestine” during a performance.
Macklemore Details Removal from Tour
In a statement shared on Monday, September 14, the U.S. rapper — whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty — said he was dropped after Gillette Stadium and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave Sheeran an “ultimatum.” Macklemore stated:
“Ed was in a ****** 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.’”
Sheeran subsequently released his own statement saying the decision to remove Macklemore came from the tour’s promoters, not from him personally.
Rapper Pledges Tour Earnings to Palestinian Aid Groups
In a fresh update posted to Instagram, Macklemore revealed he will donate his net earnings from the Loop Tour to six organizations working directly in Palestine:
- Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
- HEAL Palestine
- Gaza Soup Kitchen
- Medical Aid for Palestinians
- UNRWA USA National Committee
- Anera
He wrote:
“With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom,”
Macklemore added a direct challenge to Robert Kraft:
“I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting.
“A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth. That is what this has always been about. Not me. Not a tour. Not the headlines or the controversy. It is about Palestinians’ right to freedom, dignity and safety in their own homeland.”
He concluded:
“When the news cycle moves on, which it will, don’t move with it. Free Palestine.”
Support Acts Exit Tour in Solidarity
Macklemore’s gesture comes as Sheeran’s North American tour faces a wave of withdrawals from supporting artists. Irish singer Aaron Rowe was the first to announce his departure on Tuesday, September 15.
Finneas followed shortly after, telling fans:
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed.
“I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Irish band Beoga and Danish pop group Lukas Graham also confirmed they would no longer participate, with Lukas Graham exiting just moments after Finneas’s announcement.
Social Media Fallout
Amid the ongoing controversy, Sheeran has lost approximately 100,000 Instagram followers, while Macklemore’s follower count has grown by nearly one million.