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Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech on Ed Sheeran’s MetLife stage
While opening for Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore called for a free Palestine, accused Israel of apartheid and genocide, and said criticism of Israel was not criticism of Jewish people. The Israeli-American Council sought his removal, while the Anti-Defamation League and StopAntisemitism called the performance hostile, biased, or propagandistic. Macklemore published the speech in full and defended it as a demand for equal treatment. Boy George condemned the message; Paloma Faith praised it. P!nk amplified a critical post without writing a separate case-specific explanation, and Sheeran had not publicly addressed the dispute by the editorial cutoff.
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Material at issue
Original clip or material
Primary evidence
Original source
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- Accessed
- Source type
- Primary video
Permissible transcript excerpt
“Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”
Context note
First-party post containing the complete introductions from both MetLife performances and Macklemore’s response to criticism.
Macklemore performed the speech on September 4 and 5 before singing “Hind’s Hall,” accompanied by Gaza and campus-protest imagery. His complete posted video includes a direct address to Jewish listeners, a distinction between criticism of Israel and criticism of Jewish people, and calls for freedom beyond Palestine. Critics objected both to his claims and to an opening act using a headliner’s stadium audience for one-sided political advocacy. The Israeli-American Council requested removal, advance-approval disclosures, and stage boundaries. P!nk’s act was a repost of StopAntisemitism rather than an independently written position. Ed Sheeran’s continued booking and silence are observable facts, not evidence that he agreed with Macklemore.