On Monday, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced that he had banned rapper Macklemore from performing as the opener to an Ed Sheeran concert at Gillette Stadium later in September.
Macklemore, who had been serving as the opening act for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour, has spoken out in support of Palestine. The rapper claimed that Sheeran called him to inform him of Robert Kraft’s decision.
“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” Macklemore wrote.
“He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flags were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with,” Macklemore added. “I told him that if those words were more offensive than the tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood.”
The New England Patriots owner released a statement on his decision.
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“Gillette Stadium has a longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech. Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line,” Kraft said.
Kraft, who is Jewish, has said that he would be open to speaking with Macklemore, if he’s willing.
“I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same — peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate,” Kraft told NBC News.
He added: “Much of my time and attention for the last decade has been focused on the fight against antisemitism and hate of all kinds, and I feel a responsibility to stand up when I believe that line has been crossed.”
Dolly Parton’s sister, Stella, is not happy with the decision.
Stella Parton criticizes the Patriots for banning Macklemore
Stella Parton is calling out the Patriots and other NFL franchise venues for not letting Macklemore perform following his comments on Palestine.
“I’m here to sound the alarm again today as I’ve been doing since 2016.
We are in a dire situation when a performer is pulled from a tour for simply calling out genocide in Gaza,” she wrote on X, to her 178,000 followers.
The Patriots, 0-1 on the season, will return home to take on the Steelers in Week 2.
