A petition by the Israeli-American Council is calling on Ed Sheeran and the management of his Loop Tour to remove American rapper Macklemore from the remaining tour dates after he used his opening set at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to deliver a political speech and perform his song "Hind's Hall." The petition is also directed at the management of stadiums hosting the tour, while the organization is urging the public to contact concert promoter Live Nation directly and demand action.
Macklemore made the remarks while opening for Sheeran at MetLife on Friday, performing before a crowd at a stadium with a capacity of more than 80,000. He told the audience that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten. Wearing a keffiyeh, he called to "free Palestine" before performing "Hind's Hall" as images from Gaza and pro-Palestinian demonstrations were projected behind him.
Imagine paying $500+ to see Ed Sheeran only to be ambushed by Macklemore's relentless anti-Israel obsession.
Yes, the same Macklemore who appeared onstage dressed as an Orthodox Jew, complete with an enormous prosthetic nose.
Fans deserve apologies and refunds.
Unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/MWKXb2A8UX— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) September 5, 2026
Macklemore was one of several opening acts that evening, alongside Lukas Graham and BIIRD. His appearance had been announced in advance as an official part of the tour, and he was also scheduled to open the following night at MetLife and on additional dates. As of publication, Sheeran had not publicly responded to the controversy.
"This was an Ed Sheeran concert, not a political rally, not a protest and not an activist event," the petition says. It argues that the issue is not Macklemore's right to hold political views, but rather "where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses the platform of a global concert tour to advance a one-sided political agenda." The organization says the matter is especially troubling when the message relies on selective imagery and disputed claims presented as fact to an enormous audience without context. "Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from accountability. Your show. Your stage. Your responsibility," the petition concludes.
The IAC also addresses the choice of song, arguing that it was deliberate because "Hind's Hall" was written in explicit support of the pro-Palestinian campus protest movement and took its name from the label protesters gave Columbia University's Hamilton Hall after breaking into and occupying the building.
The protesters renamed it "Hind's Hall" in memory of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza. Macklemore released the song in May 2024 as a protest track supporting the campus demonstrations, calling for a ceasefire and divestment from Israel.
The rapper has a history of controversies. In 2014, Macklemore apologized after appearing at a Seattle museum in a dark suit, long wig, beard and oversized prosthetic nose, an outfit many viewed as an antisemitic caricature. The Anti-Defamation League accepted his apology at the time, saying it took him at his word that he had not intended any harm.
In November 2023, Macklemore spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally in Washington and declared, "This is a genocide." In September 2024, appearing at a festival in Seattle, he told the crowd, "Fuck America," and said there had been a genocide "since 1948." Days later, he was removed from the lineup of the Neon City Festival in Las Vegas, with organizers citing "unforeseen circumstances."
Founded in Los Angeles in 2007, the Israeli-American Council describes itself as the largest Israeli-American community organization in the United States and says it operates in more than 100 communities and on 58 college campuses. According to the organization, it runs educational, leadership and civic engagement programs. In March 2025, the IAC joined the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, it has expanded its activities, including efforts to combat antisemitism and advocacy for the return of the hostages.
