Lefty rapper Macklemore has sparked outrage following an anti-Israel speech during his opening performance for pop star Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium.
The Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, wore a keffiyeh as he called to “Free Palestine” and accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
During the performance, he also played his song “Hindi’s Hall” while giant screens behind him flashed images from Gaza.
The demonstration infuriated hordes of concertgoers, prompting the Israeli-American Council to launch a petition on Sunday.
In its formal statement, the organization demanded that Sheeran drop the rapper from the remainder of his tour, arguing that a public concert is not an activist event.
Describing the political demonstration, the group questioned the boundaries of a performance, saying: “The question is where to draw the line when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda”.
Several fans who attended the concert with their families expressed deep dismay and shock.
One longtime Sheeran fan, 21-year-old Moshe Creditor, recalled his horror as the crowd responded to the performance.
Reflecting on his disappointment, Creditor said: “Imagine my shock when he got 80,000 people to chant ‘Free Palestine’ while putting on a song and music video to go with it”.
Another concert attendee, Josh Wein, described his family’s experience with the opening act.
Detailing the confusion of his young daughters, Wein said: “I had brought them to an Ed Sheeran concert, not to have an opening act lecture them about Middle East politics”.
Expressing their profound grief, New Jersey residents Noya Zuaretz and Gefen Levin described their pain because their friends were killed in the war.
Recalling the impact of the performance, they said: “It was like a knife in the heart to hear him sing that way and hear people cheering”.
Neither Sheeran’s management nor Macklemore’s public relations teams have responded to requests for comment.