Ed Sheeran blames US tour promoter for dropping Macklemore

The English musician said it was important to “set out some facts” after US rapper Macklemore voiced support for Palestine.Pop star Ed Sheeran has blamed the promoter of his United States tour for dropping Macklemore after the rapper voiced support for Palestine.In a series of six slides on an Instagram post, Sheeran on Tuesday said it was important to “set out some facts”.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Egypt’s el-Sisi meets MBS, backs Saudi call for secure Red Sea navigationlist 2 of 4US speaker rejects AI pause, warns of losing edge to Chinalist 3 of 4What makes these midterms so pivotal?list 4 of 4US Senate crypto bill collapses in blow to industryend of listThe decision to remove Macklemore from the US Loop Tour, Sheeran said, came after venues said they would pull future shows if they included Macklemore. The rapper, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, drew criticism after making “Free Palestine” and other Palestine" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="204904" data-entity-type="topic">Pro-Palestine comments while on tour with Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey earlier this month.“I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of this message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said,” Sheeran wrote. “I spoke with the venues at length all week to try and build a bridge.”Some musical artists, including supporting acts, said later on Tuesday that they were quitting Sheeran’s tour after Macklemore’s ouster. They included Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Irish band Beoga, Danish band Lukas Graham and musician Finneas. They voiced support for Macklemore and expressed solidarity with Palestinians.Robert Kraft, the owner of the National Football League’s New England Patriots, confirmed he pressured Sheeran to drop Macklemore from the tour. The billionaire said Macklemore was barred from appearing at the team’s Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts during a performance later this month due to what he described as a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery”.