Massive Attack took aim at Ed Sheeran in an impassioned statement shared following the removal of Macklemore from the singer-songwriter’s tour. The rapper was dropped from the run after his statements in support of Palestinians living in Gaza pushed some venue owners to bar him from performing on their stages, putting the tour at risk. Massive Attack also pushed back on the apolitical stance Sheeran took while addressing the controversy, in which he said, “I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.” “Entertainment can never be bigger than resisting the apartheid & genocide of fellow human beings,” the band said.
Earlier this year, two band members were banned from Singapore for displaying the Palestinian flag onstage during a concert. In 2024, Massive Attack released a charity EP in the spring titled Ceasefire: In Benefit of Doctors Without Borders to raise money for relief efforts in Gaza. Last year, they launched an alliance for artists who have faced “intimidations from within” the music industry over their support of Palestine.
Kneecap, Fontaines D.C., Brian Eno, and Garbage are among those who backed the initiative. Garbage called the response to Macklemore being dropped from Sheeran’s tour “a major turning point” in the mainstream conversation surrounding Israel and Gaza. The normalisation of an apartheid state, and the attempts to sanitise or justify its actions, will no longer be tolerated,” the band wrote on Instagram.
Not only against artists who cross the picket line to perform in the apartheid state, but against those who refuse to call a thing what it is.” Last year, Garbage used the backlash from Shirley Manson cursing at an audience member for throwing beach balls on stage to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis. Trending Stories ‘With Gaza, I Couldn’t Not Speak Out’: Ms. Rachel on Controversy, Fame, and the Future Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour After Onstage ‘Free Palestine’ Statements All of Ed Sheeran's Openers Abandon Tour After Macklemore Debacle Pink Responds to Fallout After Sharing Post Criticizing Macklemore’s Speech on Palestine Sheeran has only issued one statement in response to the controversy around his tour.
In his Instagram post, he reiterated that the decision to remove Macklemore came down to the venues and promoters with whom the rapper’s contract was with. Although it wasn’t his choice, as he said, Sheeran did draw a line between his private approach to politics and the more public action Macklemore took. I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes.
However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace.”
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