Macklemore to Launch ‘Free Palestine Tour’ After Removal from Ed Sheeran Tour

Washington, MINA – Macklemore has officially announced he will hold an independent tour with fellow musicians after being removed from the stage of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. He will use the tour to once again voice support for Palestine, CNN Indonesia reported.

The tour, titled the “Macklemore and Friends Free Palestine Tour,” is scheduled to visit three major European cities throughout October. There is no detailed information yet regarding other musicians joining the tour.

Based on a post on Thursday, the Free Palestine Tour begins in Dublin on October 26, Paris on October 29, and ends in London on October 30.

The American rapper, whose full name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, also confirmed that all proceeds from ticket sales will be fully channeled to support various humanitarian organizations focused on aid for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian independence movement.

The poster immediately featured 12 logos of the humanitarian organizations in question, such as Anera, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Heal Palestine, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Medical Aid for Palestine, and Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. There are also Glia Equal Care, Taawon, Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace, UNRWA, and IMEU.

The initiative to hold an independent tour was taken by Macklemore as a form of open resistance against censorship practices and restrictions on freedom of expression on commercial stages.

He emphasized that the rejection incident he experienced was no longer just a personal matter for a musician, but rather a reflection of the tight control of influential elite groups over public narratives.

“What happened to me is much bigger than just one artist or one stage,” said Macklemore. “When a group of billionaires can determine which voices are allowed to appear on stage and which voices are considered too dangerous to be heard, everyone should start paying attention,” he stressed.

Macklemore emphasized his commitment to turning that pressure into a real humanitarian movement through this European tour. “So, we decided to hold our own tour. All revenue will be donated to support organizations that defend the Palestinian people and movement,” he continued.

This fundraising effort marks a new chapter in the long-running controversy that has been rolling since early September, when Macklemore was suddenly dropped from the Ed Sheeran tour lineup for voicing support for Palestine on stage at MetLife Stadium.

The removal was compounded by the intervention of billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, who threatened to ban Sheeran from holding concerts if Macklemore was not removed.

The silencing action instead triggered a domino effect among music industry players. The entire lineup of Ed Sheeran’s opening musicians, including Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Beoga chose to withdraw simultaneously as a form of solidarity with Macklemore and rejection of censorship practices on the music stage.

Macklemore, after officially being removed from the tour, also announced he was directly donating US$1 million, equivalent to Rp17.73 billion, or all proceeds from his performances as an opening act on Ed Sheeran’s stage, to Palestinian humanitarian organizations.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)