Macklemore opens Free Palestine tour after Ed Sheeran fallout

Macklemore has opened his Free Palestine tour in Dublin, weeks after being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour following the rapper’s pro-Palestinian comments on stage. He has said proceeds from the new tour will go to organisations supporting Palestinians.

The American rapper performed at Dublin’s 3Arena, where tickets had sold out. He is due to play in Paris on Thursday and London on Friday. Before the Dublin show, he promised “many incredible surprise guests”.

Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, announced the tour days after his removal from Sheeran’s Loop Tour. He had said “Free Palestine” at two concerts and made political speeches, including describing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide, a claim Israel rejects. Jewish groups criticised his remarks.

Sheeran has said the decision to remove Macklemore was made by his promoter, Messina Touring Group, rather than by him. After the fallout, Sheeran said he had made “mistakes” in handling the controversy and described the conflict as a humanitarian issue.

Concertgoers interviewed by the BBC said they supported Macklemore speaking out. One attendee, Gillian Duffy, who travelled from Cork with her son, said people wanted to show their support and predicted the crowd would chant “Free, free Palestine”.