Macklemore's Pro-Palestinian Speech at Ed Sheeran Concert Sparks Outrage Among Israelis

Rapper Macklemore delivered a pro-Palestinian speech during the opening act for Ed Sheeran's concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Friday. At the end of his remarks, he called to "Free Palestine," a statement met with applause from many in the audience. He then performed his song "Hind's Hall," which he released in May 2024.

Macklemore addressed the crowd of over 80,000, stating, "I want the people of Gaza to the occupied West Bank to know that we have not forgotten them." He added, "I think every person walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom, to know safety and peace before they know the sounds of violence, and to know the sound of laughter in a playground before planes and bombs."

He continued, "If I let the fear that I felt stop me from saying what's on my mind, to keep myself and the audience comfortable, that's the day I'd have no reason to be on stage anymore. So I say: Free Palestine, free Cuba, Congo, Sudan, and Iran. And to all the people living in America who are forced to live in fear because of this terrorist organization, ICE."

The song "Hind's Hall" is named after Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Gazan girl killed by Israeli fire during the war. The title was also adopted by pro-Palestinian students who occupied a building at Columbia University, renaming it symbolically. Macklemore announced that streaming revenue from the song would be donated to UNRWA.

Macklemore was one of several opening acts for Sheeran and his participation was part of the official tour. He is scheduled to perform again at the same stadium. Ed Sheeran has not publicly commented on Macklemore's remarks.

Israelis attending the concert expressed shock and pain. "We were ten people at the concert and didn't check who the opening act was, nor did we know Macklemore before. Even if we had known he was performing, we wouldn't have known who he was. We only found out there and were shocked, it was truly appalling," said Noyah Zuarz and Gefen Levin, New Jersey residents. "We immediately thought about everything our people are going through and how even when we are abroad, we have to feel this antisemitism. It was even harder to hear about it because our friends fell in the war and were murdered at Nova, and it truly felt like a knife in the heart that he sang like that and they cheered for him. It just brought everything up in an instant. We came to enjoy a concert and felt embarrassed and heartbroken. We felt like we were forced to be part of this antisemitism. We came to enjoy a concert and just suffered. So many thoughts came to mind that even led to tears. Some of us even left before Ed Sheeran's performance began because they couldn't stand the antisemitism. It was just terrible."