Macklemore to donate $1m Ed Sheeran tour salary to Palestinian relief after dismissal

American rapper Macklemore has announced he will donate the full $1m he earned as an opening act on Ed Sheeran's Loop tour to six organizations supporting Palestinians and providing relief in Gaza.

The pledge follows his removal from the tour after backlash to comments he made on stage in support of Palestine. Writing on Instagram on Wednesday, Macklemore said he wanted to refocus attention on Palestinians who are still being killed, living under military occupation, and fighting for freedom.

He also challenged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who refused to allow him to perform at Gillette Stadium near Boston, to match the donation.

How events unfolded

During a two-minute speech at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on 4 September, Macklemore called for a "free Palestine," saying he wanted the message to reach people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The remarks prompted a petition from the Israeli American Council demanding his removal from the tour. The following night he spoke again, reaffirming his support while telling Jewish audience members that criticism of Israel and of what he called apartheid was not criticism of them.

Sheeran said Kraft and several other stadium owners had told him the tour could not play their venues if Macklemore remained an opener, leading to his removal. In solidarity, all four remaining opening acts for the rest of the Loop tour withdrew as well.

In his statement, Macklemore said his focus was on Gaza's parents, doctors, paramedics and aid workers rather than himself, and vowed to keep supporting Palestinian liberation even after the news cycle moves on.

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick criticized Kraft's decision, comparing it to how NFL owners treated him during his protests. Kraft, in his own statement, said his decision stemmed from Macklemore's recent actions and what he described as a history of antisemitic rhetoric offensive to the Jewish community.