By Ali Abunimah – Sep 18, 2026
The attempt to punish rapper Macklemore for speaking out against Israel’s genocide in Gaza has become a public relations disaster for mega-star Ed Sheeran and billionaire Israel supporter Robert Kraft.
Sheeran’s supporting acts withdrew from his tour and prominent artists and politicians have rallied around the rapper.
I discussed the backlash on The Electronic Intifada Livestream on 17 September, as seen in the video at the top of this article.
This confrontation is a cultural turning point – a shift that recalls the mainstreaming of the South African anti-apartheid campaign in the 1980s.
And the Israel lobby, confident of its power, didn’t see it coming.
The censorship campaignAt Sheeran’s MetLife Stadium concerts in New Jersey on 4 and 5 September, Macklemore called for a “free Palestine” and performed “Hind’s Hall,” his song honoring Palestine solidarity protesters.
Explicitly addressing Jewish audience members, Macklemore said, “My message is for peace, love; for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.”
The Israeli-American Council – a lobby group funded by Zionist mega-donors Miriam Adelson and her late husband Sheldon – nevertheless launched a petition demanding his removal.
The anti-Palestinian outfit StopAntisemitism attacked his performances, with pop singer Pink chiming in.
On 8 September, Anti-Defamation League chief Jonathan Greenblatt joined the smears.
The Israel lobbyist urged stadium owners to “demonstrate their values,” insisting businesses could decide who to platform – apparently without recognizing the irony that this is exactly the argument Palestinian rights campaigners make against burgeoning anti-BDS laws.
Sheeran caved in.
According to Macklemore’s account, Sheeran told him that Kraft had barred him from Gillette Stadium near Boston and rallied other venue owners behind an ultimatum: drop Macklemore or lose access to their stadiums.
Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots football team, confirmed the ban at Gillette, alleging anti-Semitism.
Greenblatt celebrated: “Glad to see Macklemore off Ed Sheeran’s tour,” he wrote, accusing the artist of “demonizing Jews.”
Anti-Palestinian mega-donorKraft’s intervention fits a long record of anti-Palestinian campaigning.
In 2019, he was recognized with the Genesis Prize, personally presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the theme of “combating anti-Semitism, BDS, and other efforts to delegitimize Israel.”
BDS is the Palestinian-led boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
Accepting the award, Kraft said, “After my family, there is nothing I’m more passionate about than the State of Israel and my Jewish identity.”
He donated his million-dollar prize to more than two dozen Zionist groups.
He also donated $20 million to launch the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism – rebranded as the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate – explicitly linking its mission to smearing and opposing campaigns for Palestinian rights.
In 2022, Kraft’s company gave $1 million to United Democracy Project, a super PAC of the powerful Washington lobby group AIPAC.
Kraft’s family foundation donated $35,000 to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
Kraft even runs a “command center” inside Gillette Stadium, a dystopian mass surveillance hub where Israel lobbyists claim to monitor one billion social media posts per day looking for what they deem “anti-Semitism.”
Artists refuse to comply”I am appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” Sheeran posted on Instagram. “The suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy.”
In a display of shameless cowardice, Sheeran blamed his concert promoter, claiming he had tried to negotiate with venues and invoked his responsibility to fans and tour workers.
Sheeran claimed he does not use “my professional platform for politics” and insisted, “I am not complicit.”
But bowing to Zionist demands was a clear political choice.
His support acts Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, Finneas and Irish band Beoga, who performed during Sheeran’s set, rejected it, withdrawing from their upcoming dates.
“I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal,” Rowe wrote.
“Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation,” Lukas Graham declared.
Beoga explicitly condemned “the silencing of Macklemore by Zionist lobbies.”
These musicians, some at the start of their careers, gave up valuable opportunities – and earned respect and gratitude from Palestinians and fans around the world.
The backlash and global coverage have been enormous.
Senator Bernie Sanders condemned billionaire stadium owners for silencing artists, while actors Hannah Einbinder and Marissa Bode publicly criticized Sheeran.
Bode, who uses a wheelchair, was particularly salty as she paraphrased one of his song lyrics: “Ed Sheeran, my legs may not work like they used to before, but at least I have a fucking spine. Free Palestine, bitch!”
Ireland’s Classic Hits radio station has dropped Sheeran from its playlist, following an outpouring from its listeners.
Some Sheeran fans holding tickets for upcoming shows want refunds.
One fan pointed out that Sheeran’s protestations that he doesn’t like to get involved with politics are hypocritical given his public stances on Ukraine.
Sheeran did acquire some defenders – ones he might prefer not to have. They included his fellow Britons, far-right anti-Muslim agitator Tommy Robinson and pro-Israel singer Boy George.
The UK Labour government’s culture secretary Lisa Nandy expressed “enormous sympathy” for Sheeran.
Fergie Chambers Faces US Extradition Over Dubious ‘Terrorism Financing’ Charges
Damage controlOn 16 September, Macklemore pledged his entire $1 million in net tour earnings to six organizations supporting Palestinians and invited Kraft to match it.
Kraft responded that Sheeran had already asked him to commit $2 million to match Sheeran’s own donation, but he did not confirm whether he had agreed,
His statement referred to aid “in the region” without identifying recipients. It spoke of a “humanitarian crisis,” avoiding any acknowledgment of Israel’s crimes and the ongoing genocide.
Ludicrously, the billionaire who has funded attacks on Palestine solidarity is now claiming to have spent a lifetime “building bridges.”
Children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel’s response was considerably clearer. She pledged to match Macklemore’s donation, identifying the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund as her recipient.
She invited “every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza.”
Legal consequencesKraft could also face legal consequences. Boston lawyer Naomi R. Shatz told The Boston Globe that the Massachusetts Civil Rights Act can apply to private parties who interfere with protected speech.
She argued that banning Macklemore over his onstage statements could provide grounds for a lawsuit.
Palestine Legal’s litigation director also argued that it was “highly unlikely that the stadium owner retained an eleventh-hour power to veto tour openers expressing support for Palestinians.”
Palestine’s South Africa momentVeterans of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle emphasize the role that international economic and cultural isolation played in forcing change there.
But in hindsight, it is easy to forget how hard the movement had to work to normalize the boycott.
In 1964, Dusty Springfield was among the rare international artists to refuse to play before segregated audiences, forced to abandon a tour rather than comply with the regime’s racist policies.
Major acts including Queen, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Julio Iglesias, Ray Charles, Boney M, Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick violated boycott calls and played in South Africa’s Sun City resort.
Queen even defended its 1984 Sun City performances by claiming to be “a non-political band” – an excuse that sounds familiar in light of Sheeran’s response.
In 1985, Artists United Against Apartheid’s Sun City campaign turned the tide, making it increasingly damaging to artists’ reputations and careers.
It has taken a long time for Palestine to reach this South Africa moment – too long considering we are three years into Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
But it is cause for celebration that the billions spent by the Zionist lobby can no longer hold back the tide of global solidarity.
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