Children's Entertainer 'Ms. Rachel' Defends Rapper Removed for 'Free Palestine' Remarks

American children's entertainer Rachel Griffin, known as 'Ms. Rachel,' has publicly defended the rapper Macklemore after he was removed from Ed Sheeran's tour. Griffin, who has over 5.5 million followers on Instagram, posted that Macklemore was excluded "because he spoke during a genocide that killed over 20,000 children." She accused Israel of perpetrating this genocide, stating that "almost all their homes, schools, and hospitals have been bombed." Griffin's post, which garnered hundreds of thousands of likes, did not mention the October 7th Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and saw over 250 people taken hostage.

Griffin detailed alleged conditions in Gaza, claiming "58,000 of them lost one or both parents" and that "the highest number of amputee children in modern history." She concluded her post by calling for support for the Gazan population, stating, "Human rights are being violated and they are just children. And also: Free Palestine, there is nothing wrong with saying that Palestinian children should be able to grow up, and that the Palestinian people should be free. The wrong is to remain silent during a genocide."

Macklemore was removed from the tour after several venues informed the tour producers that they would not allow him to perform. This decision came after Macklemore repeatedly chanted "Free Palestine" during a performance in New Jersey. Messina, the production company for the U.S. leg of Sheeran's tour, stated that venues refused to host Macklemore, which would have led to the cancellation of the tour and impacted hundreds of thousands of fans. Following discussions, Macklemore was removed from the remaining support slots.