Ms. Rachel criticizes Sheeran over punishment for supporting Palestine
Children’s educator and video creator, writing on her own verified Instagram account
“Ed Sheeran had an opportunity show that we won’t be bullied into punishing people for supporting Palestine.”
The full case
Macklemore’s “Free Palestine” speech on Ed Sheeran’s MetLife stage
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Original text image and caption on Ms. Rachel’s verified Instagram account,. She criticizes Ed Sheeran for yielding to pressure to punish support for Palestine and urges opposition to what she calls genocide in Gaza.
Original video
About this source
September 14 episode on Philip DeFranco's verified YouTube channel. His own opinion criticizes Sheeran's response to Macklemore's removal and rejects conflating criticism of Israel's government with antisemitism. The criticism is directed at Sheeran's response and exclusion, not at Macklemore's speech. The Ms. Rachel quotation at 13:43–13:52 belongs to her and is excluded from DeFranco's excerpt. Sheeran's purported private remarks and Kraft/stadium-owner coordination are presented as attributed accounts, not independently proven by this video. Full timestamped YouTube transcript reviewed; audio-level quotation check remains outstanding before publication.
Before the quotation
Published amid the dispute over Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian MetLife speech and his reported removal from Sheeran’s tour. The selected excerpt is the text image’s opening sentence; its original wording is preserved.
After the quotation
The image continues by urging public opposition to what she calls genocide in Gaza; the caption criticizes unequal concern for children’s deaths. The post names Sheeran, not Macklemore. DeFranco’s same-day coverage connects a separate Ms. Rachel statement to Macklemore’s removal at 13:43–13:52.
How this statement is classified
Relative to Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian MetLife speech, the case’s reference point, Ms. Rachel supports speaking out for Palestine and rejects punishment for doing so. Her criticism of Sheeran’s response supports that defense; it does not condemn Macklemore’s speech.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Macklemore, Ed Sheeran
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