Lewis Hamilton has praised Macklemore’s stance (Image: Getty)
Lewis Hamilton has lent his support to rapper Macklemore, after the musician was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour after making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage. Macklemore called for a ‘free Palestine’ while supporting Sheeran in the United States and showed images of Gaza during shows in New Jersey.
Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, banned Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts. It is claimed the businessman, who previously hired Sheeran to play at his wedding, rallied other stadium owners to offer an ultimatum that if Macklemore stays on tour, Sheeran would not be allowed to play their venues.
Kraft said his venue would not ‘provide a platform for hate speech’ and accused Macklemore of “a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric”.
As a result, the rapper was taken off the tour, but many have stood in solidarity. Sheeran’s remaining support acts have quit, while Formula 1 star Hamilton has also offered his support.
“Thank you for using your voice, standing with you,” the Ferrari star said on an Instagram post where Macklemore explained he had been taken off the tour.
Hamilton was not alone. Activist Greta Thunberg said: “Full solidarity and free Palestine. Artists’ very active silence in the face of injustice and genocide will not be forgotten.”
Controversial rap group Kneecap added: “Free Palestine. They can never silence the truth”. Pop star Paloma Faith said: “You are a rare and important voice … thank you for existing…. This is so articulate and so powerful. You are a hero.”
Swedish songwriter Zara Larsson commented with a series of hearts to display her support.
In his statement revealing that he had been stood down from Sheeran’s tour, Macklemore made it clear that neither he, Sheeram or vocal critic Pink were victims. “The victims are the Palestinian people,” he said.
“The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.”
The rapper also discussed his friendship with Sheeran and conceded he was in a difficult position.
“Ed is my friend. I’ve known him for 13 years,” Macklemore explained. “We’ve shared late nights, studio sessions and stages. He has this infectious magic about him that I’ve grown to love. I consider him a brother. And because of that, we’ve had some difficult conversations this past week.
Macklemore’s support for Palestine has proven controversial (Image: Getty)
“The type of talks rooted in love and respect for one another that still end in a place of fundamental disagreement. Nothing I’m writing here is out of spite or because I want to tear down his character. But as I told Ed multiple times on the phone, our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”
He added: “His typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words “Free Palestine” and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with. I told him that if those words were more offensive than tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood. But he couldn’t get past his public-facing, ‘I don’t take sides.'”
Macklemore believes he was targeted due to the platform touring with Sheeran provided him, suggesting the ‘stage becomes resistance’. He believes accusations of antisemitism were being weaponised to silence his message.
Despite the fallout, the rapper suggested this may still have been his most successful tour.
“I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed,” he said. “I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say.
“Free Palestine. But if those words cost me the stage, while turning the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I’ve ever been on.”
