Washington, 15 September, 2026 (Nosheen): American rapper Macklemore has been dropped from the remaining shows of singer Ed Sheeran’s US Loop Tour after making pro-Palestinian remarks during two earlier performances, including calls for a “Free Palestine,” tour promoters said Monday. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Messina Touring Group, the concert promoter for Sheeran’s US tour, said venues hosting upcoming dates had informed them that they would not allow concerts to proceed with Macklemore on the lineup, which could have resulted in cancellations affecting hundreds of thousands of fans. The agency said that after discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore would no longer perform on the remaining support dates. Macklemore responded on Instagram, saying he was unsure what to say after learning he had been removed from the tour and decided to “speak from the heart and share the truth.” He said Sheeran was not the victim and neither was singer Pink, who had criticised his comments online, arguing that the real victims were Palestinians who had been killed, starved, displaced and subjected to violence. Macklemore said Sheeran was a friend and that his comments were not intended to attack the singer’s character, but added that their friendship could not change his responsibility to speak about what he believed had happened. The rapper said Sheeran told him that businessman Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, where the artists were scheduled to perform, had warned that the event would not go ahead unless Macklemore was removed. Macklemore said Sheeran was placed in a difficult position as his usual apolitical stance was challenged, adding that the two had discussed the issue but Sheeran ultimately maintained that he did not “take sides.” Macklemore also argued that there was no neutral position between what he described as an oppressor and the oppressed, while criticising what he called the conflation of criticism of Israel, opposition to Zionism or support for a free Palestine with antisemitism. He said such accusations, in his view, did not protect Jewish people but instead shielded Israel from accountability.