Macklemore is speaking out about his call to “Free Palestine,” which the rapper made while opening for Ed Sheeran on Friday night at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you,” Macklemore said on Saturday night (via Newsweek). “My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”
He added, “So I say free Palestine, I say free Lebanon, I say free Cuba, I say free Congo, free Sudan, I say free all people in America living in fear of this terrorist organization, ICE. None of us will be free until we are all free.”
During his Friday night set, Macklemore told the audience that he wanted the people in Gaza and the West Bank to know that he had not forgotten them: “I believe that every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom.” The statement caused the Israeli American Council to release a petition that demands that the four-time Grammy winner be removed from the rest of Sheeran’s Loop tour.
The petition reads, “This was an Ed Sheeran concert – not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event. The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda.”
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