Macklemore says silence over Sheeran row felt harder than speaking out

Macklemore told fans at the final London show of his Free Palestine tour that speaking out over the controversy with Ed Sheeran had felt less uncomfortable than staying silent. The concert drew more than 12,500 people, according to Nieuws.nl.

“It’s not brave to speak out,” the rapper said, as quoted by The Hollywood Reporter. “I don’t think it’s brave. I think it’s human. And those children in Gaza are our children. There’s no distinction.”

Macklemore also thanked the crowd for joining a community. Referring to 50 members of the House of Lords who had urged the UK government to ban his concert, he said the issue was “a story about equality for all people on this earth”.

The London event featured guest performances by Lucas Jones, Paloma Faith and Vic Mensa, and speeches from climate activist Greta Thunberg and actors Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Cynthia Nixon.

Macklemore was removed from the support line-up for Sheeran’s tour last month after making pro-Palestinian remarks. He then announced the Free Palestine tour, with dates in Dublin, Paris and London that Nieuws.nl says sold out almost immediately. His earlier Dublin show opened the tour.

Nieuws.nl reports that proceeds from the tour will go to charities supporting the Palestinian territories. It also cites the British Red Cross as putting the death toll in Gaza above 69,000. Nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed in the 7 October 2023 attack, the report says.