Singer-songwriter and activist Billy Bragg has warned that the row over Ed Sheeran’s tour could turn him into a “pariah”, following the removal of opening act Macklemore over his “Free Palestine” remarks.
While Sheeran, 35, said in a statement that the decision to axe the US rapper came from promoter Messina Touring Group, after venues threatened to cancel his shows, the move prompted his other support acts – including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe – to pull out in solidarity.
British protest singer Bragg, 68, has now weighed in and said that Sheeran should cancel his tour rather than let “billionaires decide what can and cannot be said at [his] gigs”.
“He seems like a nice fella and he entertains a lot of people, and he’s made a great living doing that,” he told ITV News on Wednesday (16 September). “This is the sort of issue that could tarnish his career, could make him a pariah of sorts, and it’d be a shame if that happened.”
Bragg continued that Sheeran should have commented either in support of Palestine or free speech, “because I think that’s the issue here, fundamentally, about the right to express your opinion”.
He also accused Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the Gillette Stadium who pushed for Macklemore’s removal, of trying to “intimidate an artist into silence, and that seldom works”.
Sheeran has received a backlash for claiming he is “not complicit” in the controversy and suggesting he had no power to prevent Macklemore from being removed from the tour. A number of fellow celebrities have either praised Macklemore for his stance or criticised Sheeran for his perceived inaction.
“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living,” Sheeran said in his statement earlier this week, while also defending himself against Macklemore’s criticism of his apolitical stance.
“I am not complicit,” Sheeran said. “I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose to not speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way.”
He added: “I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change.”
On Friday 4 September, Macklemore, real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, told the audience that one of his main motivations for doing the tour was to share his message in support of the people of Palestine.
“A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,” he said.
“I said, ‘Free Palestine!’ I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them.”
Kraft said in an initial statement that he had Macklemore removed from Sheeran’s tour because his stadium “has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech”.
In a second statement, he announced that he and Sheeran had each pledged $2m towards humanitarian relief for Palestinians, following a public challenge from Macklemore, who is donating the entire $1m of his net earnings from Sheeran’s tour to six organisations working to support the Palestinian people.
Kraft stated that Sheeran had contacted him about the donation prior to the rapper’s public challenge.
“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people,” Kraft wrote. “I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting. Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2m to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.
“Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”
Sheeran is next scheduled to perform on Saturday 19 September at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. However, the remainder of the tour is currently in doubt amid the row and after Irish group Beoga, who were serving as Sheeran’s touring band, also pulled out in support of Macklemore.
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