The New England Patriots announced on Monday that rapper Macklemore has been banned from performing at Gillette Stadium.
Macklemore, who has been on tour with Ed Sheeran, is not being welcomed at the home of the New England Patriots later this fall. Macklemore says that he has been dropped from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. The American rapper had shown public support for Palestine during shows.
The “Thrift Shop” rapper posted a lengthy statement to his Instagram account on Monday alleging that Sheeran was called by Patriots owner Robert Kraft to inform him that the rapper was not welcome in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Sheeran and Macklemore were scheduled to play at the venue, which is owned by Kraft Entertainment + Sports Group, later in September.
“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.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a statement on the decision on Monday, confirming that Macklemore was not being welcomed at Gillette Stadium.
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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, said that he would be open to speaking with Macklemore.
“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.”
