Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, has expelled rapper Macklemore from Ed Sheeran’s forthcoming U.S. stadium tour, on the grounds that the artist’s recent remarks about Gaza and his ‘broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery’ go beyond what is acceptable for events at Gillette Stadium. The decision has now gone beyond Foxborough, as several other NFL stadiums have informed the tour promoter that they will not host concerts featuring Macklemore in their lineups.
What Sparked the Ban
The controversy started at Ed Sheeran’s concerts at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey from September 4 to 5. While performing his opening act, Macklemore expressed his pro-Palestinian opinions regarding the war in Gaza, supported the idea of Palestinian freedom and performed his protest song ‘Hind’s Hall’, the lyrics of which describe Israel’s actions in the area as ‘genocide’. Israel has firmly denied the claim that it amounts to genocide, whereas various humanitarian organisations and some experts have employed the term given the high number of civilian deaths.
Later Macklemore stated that his criticism had been aimed at Israeli government policy and not at Jewish people. “To all my Jewish brothers and sisters, to criticise Israel, to oppose apartheid and to oppose genocide in no way constitutes a criticism of you,” he told the crowd, presenting his message as one calling for peace and equal dignity.
Kraft’s Statement: “Not About Diminishing Palestinian Suffering”
In a statement Kraft stated that Gillette Stadium has “always been committed to offering a welcoming environment to all guests and to making sure that events organised at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech” and gave as reasons for the view that Macklemore’s performance at MetLife and his previous statements were the factors which would mean the rapper’s taking part in the concerts on September 25–26 “crossed that line”.
Kraft, being Jewish and the founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (which is now known as the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate), stressed that his action had not been taken with the aim of suppressing advocacy on behalf of the Palestinians. “Their suffering and losses are real,” he stated, “but such advocacy should not come at the cost of the Jewish community or be used to obscure the responsibility of Hamas… Support for the Palestinian people and opposition to Hamas, antisemitism and hate should not be seen as mutually exclusive.”
He said that he would welcome the opportunity to meet Macklemore and talk over the facts, since at the end of the day our aim is the same: peace for all people, the cessation of suffering, and the end of all hate.
Tour-Wide Fallout: Multiple Venues Object
Macklemore stated on social media that Ed Sheeran had told him Kraft would not permit him to perform at Gillette and that Kraft then persuaded other stadium owners to draw the same conclusion. The tour promoter, the Messina Touring Group, stated that a number of venues had informed them that they would not allow a concert featuring Macklemore, adding that this would result in cancellations impacting “hundreds of thousands of fans”.
Venues Reportedly Raising Objections Include
- Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
- Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
- Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
- AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
- Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)
