Macklemore says the "billionaire class" should not decide "which voices are allowed on stage"
Musician, in a post on X
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage. When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention. So we're going on tour. All proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement.”
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Macklemore's own post announcing a tour with dates in Dublin, Paris and London, with all proceeds going to organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement. The attached poster lists the three dates and the logos of the beneficiary organizations.
Reporting
About this source
Pitchfork's report reproduces Macklemore's full statement announcing the tour, lists the twelve organizations that will receive proceeds and says tickets go on sale September 30. It lists the Dublin date as October 25, while Macklemore's poster and website list October 26.
Before the quotation
The post followed his September 14 removal from the remaining Ed Sheeran Loop Tour dates, his September 16 pledge of $1 million of his tour earnings to six Palestinian relief organizations, and reports that NFL owners would not host him.
After the quotation
The post does not name any team owner or venue. Artists joining the tour and U.S. dates were to be announced later.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech and removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the confrontation over Macklemore's Free Palestine remarks and his removal from the Loop Tour, Macklemore defends his advocacy: he frames his removal as the "billionaire class" deciding who may be heard and announces a tour to continue the message, with proceeds going to Palestinian causes. It is consistent in direction with his earlier statements defending his message, but moves from his September 14 statement about the removal to a broader claim about who controls access to stages.
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Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech and removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full caseJewish Voice for Peace
“Two years into Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestine organizing, the backlash against Sheeran shows how little patience Americans have for attacks on pro-Palestine speech. It also demonstrates the shift toward support for Palestinian rights among everyday Americans that our movements have helped propel.”Read statement
“To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.”Read statement
“I don't think it was completely understanding the facts. And I think it was belittling to Jewish people, too.”Read statement