For the first since the Macklemore and Palestine controversy began, British singer Ed Sheeran has taken to the stage to condemn “what is happening in Gaza.” He calls it “catastrophic and unjustifiable.”
On Saturday (September 19), pro-Palestine protesters rallied outside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. They called Sheeran a “clown” and booed him for not taking a stand for American rapper Macklemore. The “Thrift Shop” recently announced that officials ousted him from Sheeran’s ‘Loop Tour’ after speaking about Palestine and Israel.
Sheeran ended up addressing the controversy on his Instagram. However, it was only as the story got bigger and his opening acts — including his own band — began exiting the tour. Despite Sheeran’s statement, fans were NOT impressed. With tickets sales seemingly dropping, Sheeran and New England Patriots owner and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft vowed to match Macklemore’s $1 million donation to Palestine.
Ed Sheeran Takes To Stage And Speaks On Palestine and Israel For First Time Since Macklemore Was Dropped From Tour
About three days later, Sheeran is back on stage and for the first time he’s addressing the controversy. With handfuls of open seats in the stadium and protestors outside, Sheeran condemned “what’s going on in Gaza.” In addition to switching up the set for the evening, Sheeran invited new musicians and a band to play with him. While addressing things, he said:
“This is not usually how I would open the show, but before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week. I’m used to my music being criticized, and I’m always happy to take that because I’m lucky a lot of you like my stuff, and to be honest, I’m surprised. I’m not surprised that other people don’t. It’s normal. But this week, the criticism was about something much more important, and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so so sorry. I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet. My concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me. Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am, and that is why I’m here tonight on my own and continuing my current tour.”
Sheeran continued to directly address his stance on the Israel and Gaza “conflict.”
“Now, I want to address the question of where I stand on Israel and Palestine, and whether my doing this concert here tonight implies where I stand. I have tried in my career not to be a political commentator of any kind, because I want my music and shows to be about unity, not division; about humanity, not politics. But this is a humanitarian issue, and I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore. What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic, unjustifiable, and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives. The systemic injustice we’re seeing unfold in the West Bank cannot be overlooked. I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times, and listening and learning because I do not know enough. I honestly am so grateful that you’re here tonight with me. This concert is still a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone here can stand beside people that have opposing views, and everyone here can stand above people that they don’t agree with on everything, but they could all agree on singing these songs. And these songs are about love, hope, and unity.”
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!