Macklemore was cut from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour following a performance last week in which he shouted “Free Palestine,” a move that prompted the tour’s management to drop him, according to the rapper’s Instagram post.
In the same post, Macklemore said he will give the full $1 million he earned from the tour to six organizations that directly support the Palestinian people, and he invited Kraft to match the donation, writing that the focus should return to “the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.”
Robert Kraft responded with a statement saying that Ed Sheeran had called him earlier in the day and asked him to commit $2 million to aid the humanitarian crisis in the region, and that he would reach out to other venue owners to continue “building bridges.” Kraft also noted that he has supported initiatives that bring Palestinians and Israelis together for decades, but he did not confirm a new donation.
Ed Sheeran has not publicly disclosed any personal donation plan, and the rapper’s challenge to Kraft remains unanswered. The controversy has already affected the tour’s lineup: all four of Sheeran’s supporting acts have reportedly withdrawn in solidarity with Macklemore, according to The Guardian.
Sheeran’s next scheduled performance is at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, where the composition of his supporting acts remains unclear amid the ongoing fallout.