Art is political and we recently got a stark reminder of that. Macklemore, an American rapper and outspoken advocate for Palestine, was recently removed as an opening act from Ed Sheeran’s international tour in an act of political retribution.
After delivering two impassioned opening acts in which he called for solidarity with the Palestinian people and an end to the genocide in Gaza, various pro-Zionist accounts online began petitioning for Macklemore’s removal from the tour. The removal campaign attracted a frenzy of online attention, especially after another American artist, P!nk, shared the petition, claiming Macklemore’s actions, “scared me, and it scared people I love…”
By Sheeran’s own account, the campaign to remove Macklemore came to a head after billionaire Robert Kraft, CEO of the notorious Kraft Group, called him with an ultimatum. Along with other unnamed stadium owners, Kraft threatened to ban Sheeran from performing at their stadiums unless Macklemore was removed. After trying to “build bridges,” with the billionaires, Sheeran acquiesced and Macklemore was removed from the tour.
In the days following, Sheeran continued to double down. Despite his prior vocal support for Ukraine, Sheeran claims he seeks to take an “apolitical” stance. Past actions aside, Sheeran is showing clearly what it means to be “apolitical” in the face of a genocide. Being “apolitical” is standing silently on the side of the oppressor. Being “apolitical” is allowing a gaggle of right-wing billionaires to censor political content they do not like. It is impossible to be “apolitical” and Sheeran claiming to be such shows exactly which side he is on.
We cannot “build bridges” with the same billionaires who are financing the genocide in Gaza, supporting Zionism and imperialism, and building an ever more militarized world. The billionaires of the ruling class have absolutely no interest in platforming artists who oppose their agenda and they are becoming increasingly brazen in their attempts to censor opinions they oppose. This includes the UK government’s proscription of Palestine Action, as well as the ongoing crackdown on “radical left” ideas under the Trump regime. As the right-wing billionaires get bolder, so too must our working-class solidarity and resistance.
In response to Sheeran’s capitulation to the pro-Zionist billionaires, his band and the remainder of his opening acts stepped away from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore and the Palestinian people. In their public statements, many of the Irish artists correctly linked the genocide in Gaza with the history of brutal repression in Ireland. This united action by the remaining artists has put the remainder of the tour at risk. In order to save the tour from falling apart completely, Ed Sheeran was forced to recite a carefully-written PR statement admitting “mistakes,” while continuing to maintain an “apolitical” stance. This statement was about saving face and maintaining the tour. After all, the tour is itself big business, with Sheeran’s “Divide Tour” raking in revenue of $776 million.
The mass outrage at Macklemore’s removal from the tour is a demonstration of the ongoing solidarity of millions of working-class people with the people of Palestine, and the increasing political isolation of the Israeli regime. Connecting this solidarity to a struggle against capitalism and imperialism, and for international socialist change is the key to winning an end to genocide, war, and national oppression.