As soon as he resumed his American tour in Philadelphia, even before playing the first song, Ed Sheeran spoke out about the controversy that has flooded social media this week: Macklemore’s removal from his tour as a warm-up act by promoters and venues for supporting Palestine during his show with videos that depicted the genocide.
All the other opening acts on the tour have walked off in solidarity with Macklemore and Palestine, Sheeran has faced harsh criticism, and Ed Sheeran could not dodge the issue:
“This week I’ve had to make hard decisions, I’m making mistakes, and I’m truly sorry. I don’t want to let the fans down and I never intended to be an activist musician, but this has put me at the center of a major debate. I can’t hide how I feel any longer. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic.”
Sheeran described the matter as “the most complex political issue on the planet” and referenced the October 7 attacks: “What happened in Israel at a music festival on October 7 was horrific and worsened centuries of Jewish suffering. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate. I am deeply pained by the scale of the devastation and the loss of civilian lives and children, and the systemic injustice we are witnessing in the West Bank cannot be ignored.”
The artist had to hold back tears as he thanked the crowd for sticking with him despite everything. He also added that he would continue to seek information “to figure out how to contribute in a way that helps the victims of these terrible times, and I’m listening and learning because I don’t know enough yet.”
