removed Macklemore from Sheeran\u2019s gigs<\/a> earlier this month. In a statement at the time, Macklemore said that Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, had told Sheeran that he didn\u2019t want Macklemore speaking out against Israel at the show.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cIf these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it\u2019s that something has shifted over the last three years,\u201d Macklemore wrote on Thursday. \u201cThere has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s 2026. Being apolitical during a genocide doesn\u2019t work anymore,\u201d he continued. \u201cPeople are asking artists to show up, educate themselves and be in community. To use the stage for more than entertainment. To push back when the call for a Free Palestine is met with attempts to silence it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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\n\tMacklemore\u2019s \u201cFree Palestine\u201d tour will open in Dublin on Oct. 26, followed by Paris on the 29th and London a day later. U.S. dates will be announced in the future. \u201cI\u2019ve spent the last week reaching out to artists who have shown up and used their stages to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, regardless of the consequences,\u201d he wrote. \u201cArtists who understand that our platforms mean very little if we\u2019re only willing to use them when it\u2019s safe.\u201d He didn\u2019t name any of these support artists because, as he wrote, he\u2019s still working out the details at a fast speed. \u201cAll proceeds will benefit organizations supporting the Palestinian people and movement,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
\n\tSheeran continued his tour without support acts on Saturday in Philadelphia<\/a>, following every opener dropping off the bill in support of Macklemore. \u201cI don\u2019t want to disappoint fans, and I\u2019ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,\u201d he told the crowd<\/a>. \u201cMy concerts have always been a safe space for everyone, and that matters hugely to me. Honoring my commitment to my fans is also completely essential to who I am, and that is why I\u2019m here tonight on my own and continuing my current tour.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n