Controversy swirls following pro-Palestinian comments made by Macklemore at MetLife Stadium before Ed Sheeran concert

… {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","articleBody":"Some concert goers are calling for artist Macklemore to be removed from Ed Sheeran\u0027s Loop tour after he used part of his opening performance on Friday and Saturday nights at MetLife Stadium to share his pro-Palestinian views about the war in Gaza.Others who attended the show are applauding Macklemore for speaking his mind.Clips from the concert shared online show Macklemore say, \"The truth is, a big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I can stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine,\" Macklemore said, according to clips from his set posted on social media.He then performed his song \"Hind\u0027s Hall,\" which was inspired by the pro-Palestinian demonstrations that took place at Columbia University, including the illegal student takeover of a building.It was an opening performance Long Island resident Lauren Chizner said made the Friday event feel more like a one-sided political rally than an evening of music about love.\"Everybody around us starts cheering and we\u0027re like, \u0027Oh, God, like, okay, is he just gonna say that?\u0027 But then there proceeds to be on the screen, this huge screen, with like a video and it\u0027s \u0027free Palestine,\u0027\" Chizner said.\"It was big on a screen with the whole pre-planned video with IDF soldiers as Nazis,\" she added.Chizner said a group of Jews and Israelis left their seats for the rest of Macklemore\u0027s set and returned when Sheeran took the stage.The next night, Israeli American Nili Genuth said Macklemore repeated the speech and performance, so she also left and returned for Sheeran.\"I don\u0027t need any political comment, even if you\u0027re on my side,\" said Genuth. \"I want to listen to music.\"Genuth and Chizner have asked Ticketmaster for refunds. The company referred them to event organizers who they say have not responded.\"We both looked at each other like, \u0027We have to get out of here.\u0027 Like this was, you just feel like you had this target on you,\" Chizner said of the Macklemore concert experience.Samantha Sommer also was in the audience and applauded Macklemore\u0027s performance.\"We should commend artists who are using their platform to speak on something that they feel very passionately about,\" Sommer said. \"I think that wanting all humans to have equal rights shouldn\u0027t be controversial.\"Macklemore has been criticized for using imagery and rhetoric that some consider antisemitic,\u00a0dating to 2014.The Israeli American Council started a petition addressed to Ed Sheeran, his management company, and leadership of all concert venues to remove Macklemore from the remainder of the tour.It says, in part, \"...the message relies on selective imagery, biased messaging and disputed claims presented to a massive audience as a fact,\" and \"Keep Ed Sheeran\u0027s Loop tour about music -- not political propaganda.\"Macklemore on Monday posted on Instagram, \"Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.\"The post included a video from his speech at the weekend concert. In the speech he also said, \"To all my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you.\"\"I don\u0027t understand honestly why it is so surprising that someone like Macklemore would want to speak out about an issue like this,\" said Sebastian Javadpoor, a Columbia University Law student who said he helped organize the controversial encampment on the campus in 2024. \"In all honesty, when artists speak about, for example, wanting to defund the police, abolish ICE, they don\u0027t receive that controversy.\"Greg Sholette, a CUNY Graduate Center professor emeritus of critical theory, said artists have long shared political views in the musical space, even when it\u0027s unexpected.\"It\u0027s surprising to see so much controversy, but in a way it\u0027s good because it gets a discussion like this one going,\" Sholette said.The Anti-Defamation League called Macklemore\u0027s comments \"completely unacceptable.\"Ed Sheeran and his team did not return multiple requests for comment.CBS News New York also reached out to MetLife stadium for comment and did not hear back. \u00a0","dateModified":"2026-09-07T23:20:00-0400","articleSection":["Local News"],"author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Rozner","url":"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/team\/Lisa-Rozner\/","description":"Lisa Rozner joined CBS News New York in 2017.\r\n\r\nShe covers a wide range of stories. Lisa played an integral role in the station\u0027s original investigative series "Forgotten Families." Lisa confronted landlords accused of taking advantage of an NYC homeless services program, allegedly given city funds only to provide dilapidated housing to working homeless families.\r\n\r\nIn 2018, she was the first to uncover the troubled driving past of a New Jersey school bus driver who was behind the wheel during a crash that killed a teacher and student. She also reported live from Schoharie, New York, on the tragic limo crash that took the lives of 22 people.\r\n\r\nPreviously she was a reporter and anchor at NY1 where her exclusive stories included a legally blind Staten Island mother\u0027s fight with the city to safely transport her daughter to school and an investigation into dozens of brides allegedly scammed by the same wedding photographer.\r\n\r\nLisa started her reporting career at WZBN-TV, covering New Jersey\u0027s capitol region, part of the Philadelphia viewing area. She went on to become the lead multimedia journalist and anchor at WMBC-TV, a CNN affiliate, and then worked at PBS station NJTV News.\r\n\r\nPrior to being on-air, Lisa worked behind the scenes at Fox News Channel and News 12 Networks. Her work has been recognized by the New York Press Club and the Philadelphia Press Association.\r\n\r\nShe graduated with honors from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.\r\n\r\nShe is a proud Jersey girl, and in her free time enjoys traveling and trying new restaurants."}],"mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/macklemore-pro-palestinian-comments-metlife-stadium-ed-sheeran\/","inLanguage ":"en","name":"Controversy swirls following pro-Palestinian comments made by Macklemore at MetLife Stadium before Ed Sheeran concert","headline":"Controversy swirls following pro-Palestinian comments made by Macklemore at MetLife Stadium before Ed Sheeran concert","description":"Some are calling for Macklemore to be removed from Ed Sheeran\u0027s Loop tour after he used part of his opening performance on Friday and Saturday nights at MetLife Stadium to share his pro-Palestinian views about the war in Gaza.","isAccessibleForFree":true},"headline":"Controversy swirls following pro-Palestinian comments made by Macklemore at MetLife Stadium before Ed Sheeran concert","description":"Some are calling for Macklemore to be removed from Ed Sheeran\u0027s Loop tour after he used part of his opening performance on Friday and Saturday nights at MetLife Stadium to share his pro-Palestinian views about the war in Gaza.","url":"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/macklemore-pro-palestinian-comments-metlife-stadium-ed-sheeran\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":630,"width":1200,"url":"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/9e0594ee-9a2a-469e-a263-6a90aa27b296\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/88e2819a47c2e1bf163e2125aef4f910\/6-rozner-image.jpg"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/9e0594ee-9a2a-469e-a263-6a90aa27b296\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/88e2819a47c2e1bf163e2125aef4f910\/6-rozner-image.jpg","keywords":["Palestine","Macklemore","Israel","Ed Sheeran","Gaza"],"datePublished":"2026-09-07T20:15:00-0400","publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","@id":"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/","name":"CBS New York"},"alternativeHeadline":"Macklemore\u0027s pro-Palestinian comments at MetLife Stadium upset some"} …