By Monica Moorehead
September 22, 2026
As the ongoing genocide in Gaza approaches its third anniversary on October 7, the Zionist State of Israel suffered another major blow to its already tarnished image with the banning of a 43-year-old U.S. rap artist and songwriter, Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, popularly known as Macklemore, from a tour headed by another popular singer, Ed Sheeran.
The reason for the ban? Macklemore’s public support for the end of the genocide against the Palestinian people. Whenever Macklemore performs on stage, he raises “Free Palestine” while usually wearing a keffiyah or waving the Palestinian flag. So many of his fans are also pro-Palestine. He had made pro-Palestine remarks at a concert in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 14.
Sheeran did not say one word to oppose the banning but instead issued a weak statement about how important it is for him to remain “apolitical” by not taking sides. You cannot get any more cowardly than not taking a strong position when a living, breathing genocide against an oppressed people is taking place for the entire world to witness.
The notorious billionaire owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, called on National Football League owners to ban Macklemore from ever performing in their stadiums. Not only is Kraft a billionaire, but to add insult to injury, he is also virulently pro-Zionist, a misogynist and anti-Black Lives Matter.
Other owners have agreed to prevent Macklemore from performing at NFL venues in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Tampa, Charlotte, North Carolina and Arlington, Texas.
Kraft was close friends with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. He was a vocal opponent of former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick when in 2016 the Black signal caller ignited a year-long protest against police brutality by taking a knee during the playing of the racist, militaristic national anthem before NFL games.
Kraft led the charge, along with other billionaires such as Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones, of not only banning Kaepernick from ever playing again but also threatening their respective players with fines and expulsions if they also took a knee in solidarity with Kaepernick’s cause.
Kraft’s attack boomerangs
Kraft’s attack on Macklemore has created a chain reaction that he and the other NFL owners did not expect. The most important reaction came from the opening acts on tour who voluntarily boycotted performing with Sheeran in solidarity with Macklemore. These acts include: Beoga — the acclaimed Irish band that has toured extensively with Sheeran and was serving as his house/backing band; Finneas — the Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer well-known for producing and co-writing much of his sister Billie Eilish’s music; Aaron Rowe — an Irish singer-songwriter; and Lukas Graham — the Danish band behind the huge global hit “7 Years.”
There are reports that ticket sales for the Sheeran tour have dropped dramatically since abandonment by these acts. Tickets for a Sept. 19 concert in Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia were reduced by 50% and fans are asking Ticketmaster for refunds. Several pro-Palestinian groups demonstrated outside Sheeran’s concert.
Kraft stated that he was donating $2 million to groups “in the region,” but according to The Intercept, those groups turned out to be Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces and the American Israeli Political Action Committee. (Sept. 20)
Macklemore has pledged $1 million to six Palestinian aid groups.
Gaza, Occupied Palestine
Macklemore’s stance has even reached the people of Gaza where children sent video messages of love and solidarity to him for not forgetting the besieged occupied Palestinian masses. Palestinian artists painted a mural on a building surrounded by destroyed infrastructure in Gaza of Macklemore wrapped in a Palestinian flag with the message: “Thank you for using your voice for Palestine, Macklemore.”
Mayor Abdullah H. Hammond of Dearborn, Michigan, made the following appeal: “Hey [Macklemore], if they don’t want you performing in their stadiums, you’re always welcome in Dearborn. Come put on a show here. We’ll make it a free concert, sponsored by the City, and help make it one of the best around. We stand with you and for a free Palestine.” (Truthout, Sept. 15) Dearborn is home to the highest concentration of Arab people in the U.S. at 40%.
‘Free Palestine’
Celebrities such as Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem, Hannah Einbinder, Mark Ruffalo, Annie Lennox and lesser known ones such as the musicians who sided with Macklemore have refused to be silenced, even at the risk of losing work, on the issue of Palestine. The International Action Center salutes them along with the millions of people around the world who protest in the streets, shut down pro-Israeli defense industries, disrupt pro-Zionist speakers and more to show solidarity in every way possible with the Palestinian struggle for liberation and self-determination.
Macklemore’s statement on his Facebook page includes the following excerpt: “With everything that has happened over the past 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, living under military occupation and still fighting for their freedom.
“A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth. Palestinians have lived for decades without basic rights and should not have to wait another day to be free. That is where my focus will remain. I will continue to stand with the Palestinian people and their right to liberation. When the news cycle moves on, which it will, don’t move with it. Free Palestine!”
