Robert Kraft Calls Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine’ Statements ‘Deeply Offensive’: ‘A Line Had Been Crossed’
Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, has publicly defended his role in getting Macklemore removed from the US leg of Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour, saying the rapper's "Free Palestine" comments and imagery were "deeply offensive and hurtful" to the Jewish community. The move follows Macklemore's remarks at a MetLife Stadium show, where he voiced support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, prompting a group of NFL stadium owners, including Kraft, to tell tour promoters they would not host the concerts if Macklemore remained on the bill.
Macklemore, who has long been an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights and released the protest song "Hind's Hall" in 2024, said Sheeran had been placed in a difficult position by the ultimatum and rejected the idea that his words were more offensive than the deaths of Palestinian children. Kraft, in his statement, said the decision was not about denying anyone's right to advocate for Palestinians but that "a line had been crossed", citing what he called Macklemore's broader history of antisemitic rhetoric. Macklemore had been due to appear at Gillette Stadium on 25 and 26 September, and the dispute follows earlier criticism from the Israeli-American Council, which petitioned for his removal, and singer Pink, who also backed calls for him to be dropped from the tour.
- Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran's US tour after "Free Palestine" remarks
- Robert Kraft led NFL stadium owners' push for his removal
- Macklemore says Sheeran was given an ultimatum by venue owners
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Robert Kraft is the businessman who owns the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home to the New England Patriots. He has also been a vocal advocate against antisemitism. Macklemore is a US rapper known for hits like "Thrift Shop", who has for some years spoken out in support of Palestinian rights, including releasing a 2024 song titled "Hind's Hall" about the Israel-Gaza war.
The row centres on Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour, a run of stadium concerts in which Macklemore was booked as a supporting act. After Macklemore made pro-Palestinian comments at a show in New Jersey, Kraft and other American football stadium owners reportedly told the tour's organisers they would not allow the concerts to go ahead at their venues if Macklemore stayed on the bill, leading to his removal from the US dates.
The dispute reflects a wider, ongoing disagreement over how public figures should speak about the Israel-Gaza war, and where the line lies between political expression and language some consider antisemitic. It has drawn in other well-known names, including the singer Pink and the advocacy group Israeli-American Council, and has put Ed Sheeran in the middle of a controversy not of his own making.