Macklemore pledges US$1 million tour earnings to Palestinian aid groups
Macklemore said he will donate his US$1 million in net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organisations supporting Palestinians, days after his removal from the tour.
- Macklemore pledged his entire US$1 million net tour earnings to six organisations supporting Palestinians.
- Robert Kraft said he planned to commit US$2 million to address the regional humanitarian crisis.
- Macklemore’s removal followed controversy over his pro-Palestinian performances and concerns raised by venue representatives.
US rapper Macklemore said on Wednesday he would donate the entirety of his $1 million in net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organisations working to support Palestinians, two days after he was removed from the tour following controversy over his performances.
Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, announced the donation in a lengthy statement on Instagram, saying he wanted to “bring the conversation back where it belongs” to Palestinians.
“I will be donating the entire $1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organisations working directly to support the Palestinian people,” he wrote.
The organisations he named are the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, American Near East Refugee Aid and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
“Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than another life on this earth,” Macklemore wrote.
He said the donations were the least costly forms of solidarity and that his focus would remain on Palestinians and their right to “freedom, dignity and safety”.
Kraft says he will commit $2 million
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft responded shortly afterwards, saying he planned to commit $2 million to aid the region and fight the humanitarian crisis.
Kraft said in a statement on X that Sheeran had contacted him earlier on Wednesday, before Macklemore publicly challenged him to match the donation.
“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges,” Kraft wrote.
“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting,” he added.
Kraft owns Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, where Sheeran’s tour was scheduled to perform on September 25 and 26.
Dispute followed pro-Palestinian performances
The donations came after Macklemore was dropped as an opening act on Sheeran’s tour.
The tour promoter said upcoming venues had threatened to withdraw if Macklemore remained on the lineup, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Macklemore alleged that Kraft had “rallied” some other stadium owners and that they collectively gave Sheeran an ultimatum: “if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues.”
Sheeran confirmed on Tuesday that Kraft was among venue representatives who had raised concerns about Macklemore’s performances.
Sheeran also said the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the promoter.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me,” Sheeran said in a statement.
Amid the fallout, Finneas, Danish pop band Lukas Graham and Irish singer Aaron Rowe, who had been expected to open for Sheeran, have also withdrawn from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
Kraft cites concerns over antisemitism
Kraft previously defended the decision to oppose Macklemore’s appearance at Gillette Stadium, saying the venue had a commitment to providing a welcoming environment and ensuring its events did not provide a platform for hate speech.
He said the decision followed Macklemore’s recent actions and material shared from the stage during Sheeran’s New Jersey shows, as well as what Kraft described as a broader history of rhetoric and imagery that he believed had been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.
“Much of my time and attention for the last decade has been focused on the fight against antisemitism and hate of all kinds, and I feel a responsibility to stand up when I believe that line has been crossed,” Kraft said.
He also said he was not attempting to suppress Palestinian advocacy or diminish Palestinians’ suffering.
Kraft said he agreed with Macklemore that there had been too much suffering and that he had spent decades “directing resources” to Palestinians.
“Standing with the Palestinian people and standing against Hamas, antisemitism and hate should not be mutually exclusive,” he said.
Controversy over New Jersey performance
The dispute intensified earlier this month when Macklemore joined Sheeran’s tour at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Before performing “Hind’s Hall”, he told the crowd he wanted to use stadiums to say “Free Palestine” and said his criticism of Israel’s government was not directed at Jews.
The performance drew criticism from fellow artist Pink, who objected to what she described as “violent images” of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza being shown to families in the stadium.
Pink also cited a 2014 incident in which Macklemore wore a costume criticised for antisemitic stereotypes.
Macklemore apologised and said he had contacted the Anti-Defamation League, which accepted his apology at the time, according to The Guardian.
Macklemore said the focus should remain on Palestinians rather than himself or the tour.
“It is about Palestinians rights to freedom, dignity and safety in their own homeland,” he wrote. “When the news cycle moves on, which it will, don’t move with it.”
