Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran's US tour

US rapper Macklemore has been dropped from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran's US tour following controversy over comments he made in support of Palestine during a concert in New Jersey.

Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, spoke in support of people in Gaza and the West Bank while performing at the MetLife Stadium earlier this month.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Messina Touring Group, promoter of the US leg of Sheeran’s Loop Tour, confirmed that Macklemore would not perform on the remaining support dates.

The promoter said it had been notified by venues hosting upcoming dates that they would not allow concerts to take place with Macklemore on the line-up.

It said this would result in the cancellation of the tour and affect hundreds of thousands of fans.

"After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates," it said.

The confirmation came after Macklemore addressed the situation in a lengthy Instagram post on Monday.

"I’m going to speak from the heart and share the truth. Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from The Loop tour," the 43-year-old wrote.

He said neither he, Sheeran nor singer Pink, who had criticised his comments, should be viewed as victims of the controversy.

"The victims are the Palestinian people," he wrote, referring to people who have been killed, starved and displaced during the conflict.

Macklemore went on to claim that Robert Kraft, whose Kraft Group owns Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, had contacted Sheeran and told him they would not be able to play there unless Macklemore was removed from the tour.

According to Macklemore, Sheeran told him that the words "Free Palestine" and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a number of people he had spoken to.

Macklemore said there was a "fundamental disconnect" between their positions and said Sheeran could not move beyond his public stance of not taking sides.

Irish rap trio Kneecap and CMAT were among those to voice support for Macklemore on Instagram following his statement.

The controversy followed Macklemore’s performances at MetLife Stadium, where he spoke about Gaza and the West Bank.

A petition was subsequently launched calling for him to be removed from the remaining dates of Sheeran’s tour.

Pink reposted a message criticising Macklemore's comments before later setting out her position in a statement of her own.

She said Palestinians "deserve a future that honours their humanity and their aspirations", but said Macklemore’s performance had frightened her and people she loved.

Pink said her repost had been prompted by Macklemore showing images from the war during his performance and then addressing Jewish members of the audience.

She said she did not speak for Israel or for any government.

Macklemore was among more than 1,100 artists, musicians and cultural workers who called for a boycott of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest over the inclusion of Israel.

The letter, coordinated by campaign group No Music For Genocide, was also signed by Faith, Massive Attack, Paul Weller and Kneecap.

Representatives for Sheeran and the Kraft Group have been contacted for comment.

Source: Additional reporting Press Association