US rapper Macklemore says he will give $1 million (€872,000) in net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to charities supporting Palestinians, redirecting money from a tour he left after speaking publicly about Gaza.
The donation follows Macklemore’s removal as a supporting act after comments he made about the conflict.
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Since his departure, every other supporting act on Sheeran’s remaining dates has also withdrawn. The artists include Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Grammy-winning musician Finneas, Danish band Lukas Graham and Irish group Beoga, who had joined Sheeran for part of his set.
In an Instagram post, Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, said: “With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.
On Monday, the rapper said Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium, had contacted Sheeran and told him the singer could not perform there unless Macklemore was removed from the tour.
Macklemore said Ed Sheeran told him that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft had said he would not be allowed to perform at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on 25 and 26 September
He challenged the US businessman to match his charitable giving, saying that “whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth”.
Mr Kraft has since pledged $2 million to humanitarian aid after Sheeran asked him to match a $2 million donation from the singer. A spokesperson for Kraft confirmed the contribution to the Associated Press.
Macklemore also said: “Aid alone cannot address the conditions that make it necessary. This is a manmade injustice and I believe it requires immediate political change.
“Palestinians have lived for decades without basic rights and should not have to wait another day to be free. This is where my focus will remain,” he said.
The rapper said the money would go to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA and American Near East Refugee Aid.
On Tuesday, Sheeran said on social media that the decision to remove Macklemore had been made by the promoter, not by him.
He said “upcoming tour dates had communicated that they would pull the shows if he was still supporting”, adding that Mr Kraft was among those who had issued that warning.
Read more:Irish acts exit Ed Sheeran tour in solidarity with MacklemoreEd Sheeran says it was not his decision to remove Macklemore from tour
The singer added, “I am not complicit. I have my personal views on this devastating conflict.”
Sheeran said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and stressed that he respected Macklemore “as an artist”.
In a statement released by Mr Kraft, the businessman said his decision to bar the US rapper after his on-stage comments reflected a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community”.
Sheeran is next due to perform on 19 September at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, where Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe had been scheduled to appear as opening acts.
Seventeen dates remain on the tour across North and South America, with the final performance set for 11 December in Mexico City.
