Overview
- Macklemore opened for Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium and on Sept. 4 wore a keffiyeh, showed footage from Gaza and told the crowd “Free Palestine,” prompting cheers, some walkouts and calls for him to be removed from the tour.
- Advocacy groups including StopAntisemitism and the Israeli‑American Council circulated posts and a petition urging an apology or his removal after the performance, and those calls remain active.
- Pink reshared a StopAntisemitism post that criticized Macklemore, then faced heavy online backlash after responding with memes, which she now says was a mistake.
- In a lengthy Sept. 11 Instagram statement she wrote that “Hamas is a terrorist organization,” said Palestinians deserve a humane future, explained her resharing was prompted by a past Macklemore incident, and said she was standing up as a Jewish mother.
- The dispute highlights how stadium stages and social platforms magnify political speech, raises questions for tour organizers about vetting and safety, and keeps pressure on Ed Sheeran’s tour to respond publicly.