Rapper Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour after using anti-Israel rhetoric at a concert in New Jersey, where he chanted "Free Palestine" and accused Israel of apartheid and genocide. The Israeli American Council urged Sheeran to drop Macklemore due to his divisive statements, which were also criticized by fellow artist Pink on social media. Macklemore defended his stance, stating that the Palestinian people are the true victims, while acknowledging that other stadium owners may refuse him based on these comments.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 3 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 9461: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-14
American rapper Macklemore was dropped from musician Ed Sheeran’s tour after anti-Israel rhetoric at previous concerts.
asserted
Macklemore → drop → concerts
In a post on Instagram on Monday, he said: “Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from the Loop tour.”
asserted
Sheeran → say → tour
Macklemore, 43, opened for the English singer-songwriter earlier this month at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey when he chanted “Free Palestine” and accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, the Jewish Journal of Greater Boston reported.
asserted
Journal → open → Boston
In a video posted on X by Macklemore showing him speaking to the MetLife crowd, he said: “One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.”
asserted
that → post → heart
He told Jewish crowd members that criticizing Israel was not a criticism of the Jewish people.
asserted
criticizing → tell → people
The Israeli American Council called on Sheeran to remove Macklemore from his tour.
asserted
Council → call → tour
“Do not allow your stage to be used to divide people or spread one-sided political propaganda,” the group wrote on Instagram.
asserted
group → allow → Instagram
“The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda,” it said online.
asserted
it → draw → agenda
“This becomes even more troubling when the message relies on selective imagery, biased messaging, and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as fact, without context or complexity.”
uncertain
message → become → context
later commented on what happened at MetLife.
asserted
what → comment → MetLife
“I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I’m not asking now.
asserted
I → ask → ?
I don’t need anyone fired, and I don’t need a refund,” she wrote.
asserted
she → need → refund
“What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, ‘That scared me, and it scared people I love,’ without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I’m somehow cool with genocide because I noticed.”
asserted
I → need → genocide
She recalled when Macklemore dressed up as what appeared to be a caricature of a Jewish person in 2014, by putting on “a hooked nose, a black beard and a bowl cut, performed in it, and called it a ‘random costume.'”
asserted
what → recall → it
Pink said she “let it go…
asserted
it → say → ?
Then last weekend he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn’t about them.”
asserted
it → stand → them
She added: “You don’t get to decide that for us.”
asserted
You → add → us
In his Instagram post on Monday, the rapper said that neither he, Sheeran nor Pink were victims.
asserted
he → say → Monday
He said the real victims are the Palestinian people.
asserted
victims → say → ?
Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, called Sheeran to say that Macklemore would not be allowed to perform there, according to the rapper.
uncertain
Macklemore → call → rapper
Kraft, who is Jewish, also told Sheeran that other stadium owners would likely follow suit, Macklemore said.
asserted
Macklemore → tell → suit
Macklemore said he has maintained his position on Palestine for years, but it was only getting attention now because he was sharing the stage with Sheeran.
asserted
he → say → Sheeran
The promoter of the tour’s U.S. leg, Messina Touring Group, confirmed to Rolling Stone in a statement that it had been notified by American venues “that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans.”
“After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates,” the statement said.
asserted
statement → confirm → dates
Macklemore had performed at two of the 10 shows he was scheduled to attend.
asserted
he → perform → shows
The Aporia
