Finneas
Role at the time: Musician and producer, scheduled to support Ed Sheeran on the South American leg of the Loop Tour
Statement summary
Finneas announced on Instagram that he was withdrawing from his upcoming Ed Sheeran dates, saying artists must not be silenced for speaking up for the oppressed.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Finneas’s own account, @finneas, announcing his withdrawal from his upcoming Ed Sheeran dates. The post was opened and its author, account and posting date were confirmed directly. The body of the statement is published as images rather than caption text, so the wording quoted in the Dispute Index record is taken from news transcription of those images, not read from the post itself.
Why we used this label
Relative to Macklemore’s MetLife speech and his removal, Finneas treats the removal as silencing an artist who spoke up, and withdraws in protest. Both the stated reason and the action defend the speech rather than merely commenting on the tour.