Jewish Voice for Peace says the backlash to Macklemore's removal shows support for pro-Palestine speech
Jewish Voice for PeaceJewish Voice for Peace, in a post in its weekly publication The Wire
Jewish Voice for Peace said the backlash against Ed Sheeran after Macklemore's removal shows how little patience Americans have for attacks on pro-Palestine speech, and reflects a shift toward support for Palestinian rights that its movements have helped propel.
“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.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech and removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour
At two Ed Sheeran concerts 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. After venue objections, tour promoter Messina Touring Group said he would not perform the remaining U.S. Loop Tour dates. Critics characterized the performance as hostile or inappropriate; Macklemore defended it as a call for equal treatment.
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Original text
About this source
Jewish Voice for Peace's post in The Wire, published September 24, 2026. It opens with Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour and the reaction to it, then turns to other Palestine-related organizing and legislation.
Before the quotation
JVP's post said Macklemore announced on social media that Ed Sheeran had removed him from the remaining dates of their tour over comments in support of Palestine, and that Robert Kraft reportedly pressured Sheeran to drop him. It also said Sheeran's other opening acts withdrew from the tour within two days, and that protesters gathered at his Philadelphia show, with more protests planned for the Gillette Stadium show.
After the quotation
The rest of the post turns to polling on American Jewish opinion, congressional action on U.S. arms sales to Israel, local divestment campaigns and candidates endorsed by JVP Action.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case looks at Macklemore's speech and his removal from the tour. JVP's post says Macklemore's words "expressed the sentiments of millions" and treats the backlash against Sheeran as a sign of how little patience Americans have for attacks on pro-Palestine speech. That takes Macklemore's side against the removal, so we labeled it Defended or excused.
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- Ed Sheeran
More from this case
Read the full caseMacklemore says nine U.S. arenas withdrew available dates once they learned the shows were benefits for Palestine
“By mid-September, we received available dates at these arenas through the end of the year. But once they found out these were my benefit shows for Palestine, those dates were suddenly off the table. The doors were closed. The conversations were all different, but the result was the same. The shows were not going to be allowed to happen in these venues. ... We live in a country that prides itself on freedom of speech. Yet we've reached a point where a handful of billionaires can decide which causes are acceptable, which voices are welcome and which human lives are worth defending.”Read statement
The Edge says U2 supports Macklemore's right to speak and that Ed Sheeran should not be vilified
“We totally support Macklemore's right as an artist to say what he wanted to say ... I don't think Ed should be vilified. He was in a very difficult situation. But I commend the other young artists who decided to leave [his] tour. ... They were sticking up for an artist's right to free speech, and I think that's the issue above anything else.”Read statement
Macklemore answers the peers who sought to stop his Wembley show
“This is a story tonight of love. And regardless of what them 50 Lords have to say, this is a story of equality for all human beings around this Earth.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Jewish Voice for Peace says the backlash to Macklemore's removal shows support for pro-Palestine speech". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3403-jewish-voice-for-peace-said-the-backlash-against