The rapper Macklemore is framing his removal from Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour as a free-speech dispute, but Breitbart reported this week that his onstage conduct went well beyond a protest slogan β including praise for a Columbia University activist group that has described the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel as an “historic win.”
According to Breitbart’s account, Macklemore β whose legal name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty β faced swift backlash after yelling “Free Palestine” while opening for Sheeran on the singer’s “Loop Tour,” displaying anti-Israel slogans on the jumbotron and wearing a Palestinian scarf onstage. The outlet further reported that he praised Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and dedicated a song to the organization.
A dedication to SJP
Breitbart reported that Macklemore dedicated his song “Hindi’s Hall” to SJP β a track the outlet describes as written to lionize the pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University. SJP, per Breitbart’s characterization, has repeatedly occupied Columbia campus spaces, intimidated students and staff, and destroyed school property.
The outlet also pointed to an official SJP document stating that the October 7, 2023 attacks β which killed more than 1,000 Israelis, including children and the elderly β constituted an “historic win for the Palestinian resistance.” That language, Breitbart argued, is central to why Macklemore’s tour dismissal is not simply a free-speech matter.
Pressure from stadium owners
After Macklemore’s stage remarks, calls grew for Sheeran to remove him from the tour. The pressure escalated, according to Breitbart, when NFL owner and billionaire Robert Kraft told tour operators he would not allow Macklemore to perform at Gillette Stadium, which Kraft owns. Kraft then persuaded seven other stadium owners to contact Sheeran and warn that Macklemore would not be welcome at their venues, the outlet reported.
Soon after, tour organizers dropped Macklemore from the eight remaining shows where he had been scheduled to appear.
A pattern of controversy
Breitbart noted that the Sheeran tour is not the first time Macklemore has drawn criticism for antisemitic imagery. At one concert, the outlet reported, he wore a giant prosthetic nose and fake beard, and was seen giving what appeared to be a Nazi salute while dressed in a stereotypical Jewish costume.
The controversy has split the music world. Breitbart reported that a number of artists have publicly backed Macklemore, including the Irish group Kneecap, singer Paloma Faith, Swedish pop star Zara Larsson, the rock band Garbage, Kehlani, Australia’s Toni Watson, and Stella Parton, Dolly Parton’s sister.
In a notable escalation this week, several acts that had been touring with Sheeran quit the tour in support of Macklemore, according to Breitbart. Those departures included singer Finneas, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, and Lukas Graham of Denmark.
Neither Macklemore nor representatives for Ed Sheeran, Robert Kraft, or the affected venues have issued public statements included in Breitbart’s report. The article was written by Warner Todd Huston.
Source: www.breitbart.com β https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/09/16/video-macklemore-praising-a-columbia-university-group-that-called-oct-7-an-historic-win-is-why-ed-sheeran-canceled-him/