Finneas and other supporting artists have withdrawn from Ed Sheeran’s tour after Macklemore was dropped following his pro-Palestinian remarks during a performance in New Jersey.
Finneas, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Irish band Beoga and Danish group Lukas Graham have all announced that they will no longer appear on Sheeran’s upcoming dates.
Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, joined Sheeran’s Loop tour earlier this month. At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, he told the crowd “Free Palestine” before performing his protest song Hind’s Hall.
Macklemore said on Monday that he had been removed from the tour after Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, called Sheeran and threatened to cancel the planned shows if the rapper remained on the bill.
Artists protest Macklemore’s removal
Finneas said he was withdrawing from his scheduled appearances because he stood “with Palestine and its people”.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote on Instagram.
His decision followed an announcement by Rowe, who said he could not stand by while billionaires silenced people speaking about what he described as “Israeli genocide” and the “savage murder of children”.
“Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this,” Rowe wrote. “But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine, and violent occupation.”
A United Nations commission found in an independent inquiry published last year that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Israeli government officials have denied the allegation, calling it “distorted and false”.
Beoga, Sheeran’s house band, said it was also leaving the tour after more than a decade of friendship with the singer.
“It’s important that everyone knows that the real enemy is the zionist lobby,” the band said in a statement, adding that it had sought to silence artists speaking about the conflict “for fear of retribution”. The post was captioned “Saoirse don Phailistín”, which translates from Irish as “Freedom for Palestine”.
Lukas Graham apologised to fans while confirming its departure. The band said that, in the small Danish community where its members grew up, “speaking your mind was part of everyday life”.
“Having more money didn’t make your opinion worth more than anyone else’s,” the group said. “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation.”
Ed Sheeran says promoter made decision
Sheeran issued a statement as criticism of his handling of the dispute grew, saying that removing Macklemore had not been his decision.
He said he had spent a week trying to find a solution after venues contacted him to say they would withdraw their shows if Macklemore remained part of the line-up. Sheeran said he had spoken at length with venues, including Kraft, in an effort to “build a bridge”.
According to Sheeran, the contract with Macklemore was held by concert promoter Messina Touring Group, which ultimately decided to remove him. He said he respected Macklemore’s “strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes”.
Messina Touring Group said multiple venues had informed it that they would not allow concerts to take place with Macklemore on the bill, warning that cancellations would affect hundreds of thousands of fans.
Kraft said the decision to bar Macklemore from Gillette Stadium was based on the rapper’s “recent actions” on stage and what he called a broader history of “antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” that he believed had offended and hurt the Jewish community.
He denied that the decision was intended to suppress Palestinian advocacy or diminish the suffering of Palestinians, adding that he would welcome the chance to discuss the matter with Macklemore.
