Singer Ed Sheeran addressed the controversy surrounding rapper Macklemore’s removal from his US tour on Saturday, telling an audience in Philadelphia that the devastation and civilian deaths in Gaza had left him heartbroken.
Speaking before his performance at Lincoln Financial Field, Sheeran said he had never intended to become an activist musician but now found himself at the centre of a deeply contentious debate involving free speech and the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“I don’t want to disappoint fans, and I’ve never wanted to be an activist musician, but this has put me in the middle of an important and passionate argument about freedom of speech and the most complex political issue on the planet,” he told the crowd.
Sheeran described the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel as “horrific,” while calling Israel’s war in Gaza “catastrophic, unjustifiable and disproportionate.”
“My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, children’s lives,” Sheeran said.
He also said the “systemic injustice” in the occupied West Bank could not be ignored.
The singer acknowledged the criticism surrounding recent decisions connected with his tour and apologised for mistakes he had made.
“This week, the criticism was about something much more important and I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry,” he said.
Sheeran’s remarks came amid controversy over Macklemore’s removal from the US leg of his tour following the rapper’s outspoken pro-Palestinian statements.