Macklemore to donate entire Ed Sheeran tour salary to Palestine aid
It comes after the US artist was dropped as a support act on the tour for speaking out in support of Palestine during a set
Macklemore has announced he will be donating his entire salary from being booked as a support act on Ed Sheeran’s tour to charities supporting Palestinians.
It comes after the US rapper revealed that he had been dropped from the US leg of the Loop tour for speaking out in support of a free Palestine during one of his first support slots in New Jersey. Sheeran later insisted that it was the promoter's decision to remove him from the tour, rather than his choice, following pushback from owners of venues that the tour would be stopping at.
Macklemore is donating his $1 million net earnings from the tour to the charities HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA National Committee and Anera, which are all doing work to support Palestinians on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank.
“I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom,” Macklemore said in an Instagram post about the donation.
Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, was among the venue proprietors who opposed Macklemore’s involvement in the tour following the rapper’s comments on Palestine. In his latest Instagram post, Macklemore called on Kraft to match his $1 million donation, writing: “Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting.”
Earlier this week, Macklemore said in another statement: “Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium. Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
In a response shared today, Kraft said that before Macklemore challenged him to match the $1 million donation, Sheeran had requested that Kraft “commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis. Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges”. Kraft’s statement crucially refers only to “the region”, rather than mentioning Palestine specifically.
Earlier this week, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement urged Sheeran to cancel the “compromised” tour and called him out for “bowing to billionaires' pressure”.
The organisation added: “Until then, we call on opening artists, audience members and, where possible, crew members to boycott the complicit tour.” Other artists, including Finneas and Sheeran’s backing band, Beoga, have since pulled out of the tour in support of the Palestinian cause and Macklemore.
Read Macklemore’s full Instagram statements on the Ed Sheeran tour situation below.
