Macklemore doubles down on 'Free Palestine' as Boy George, Pink hit out

US rapper Macklemore has defended on Monday his calls for a "free Palestine" while touring with UK singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, after pro-Israel groups demanded that the Grammy Award-winning artist be removed from shows in New Jersey.

Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, faced a backlash from pro-Israel groups after he was filmed chanting "Free Palestine" while performing as an opening act for Sheeran.

The rapper has long used his platform to express solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's nearly three-year genocidal war on Gaza.

The lobby group Israeli-American Council called for Macklemore to be removed from the tour, accusing him of using his platform to "advance a one-sided political agenda".

During his Friday night set, Macklemore told the audience that he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to know that he had not forgotten them.

"I believe that every human being walking on this earth deserves exactly the same freedom," he said, before performing his pro-Palestine track "Hind's Hall" as footage of Gaza was shown on screen.

The rapper later addressed the backlash from the stage at MetLife Stadium and in a video uploaded to social media on Monday, stressing that his advocacy for Palestinian rights was not directed against Jewish people.

The Israeli-American Council had argued that the event was a concert, "not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event".

"To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters: criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you," Macklemore said in response on Saturday night.

He added: "So I say free Palestine, I say free Lebanon, I say free Cuba, I say free Congo, free Sudan, I say free all people in America living in fear of this terrorist organization, ICE. None of us will be free until we are all free."

Boy George and Pink join pro-Israel backlash

Boy George, who recently faced outrage after sharing the AI-assisted pro-Israel track "We Will Dance Again", joined the pro-Israel backlash against Macklemore on social media.

He shared an AI-generated image on Instagram depicting Sheeran wearing a shirt bearing the words "Wkack Mack No More", while writing that he had "never been an @Edsheeran fan and nothing has changed".

US singer Pink also amplified the backlash by resharing a post from the pro-Israel group StopAntisemitism attacking Macklemore over his Palestine advocacy.

The group dismissed Israel's genocide in Gaza as a "false 'genocide'" and accused Macklemore of turning "a mainstream event into a political nightmare" against Israel. 

The attacks on Macklemore come as Israel's genocidal war on Gaza continues despite a so-called ceasefire agreed in October last year.

In the occupied West Bank, Israel has also been accelerating its illegal settlement drive and seizure of Palestinian land, amid the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian communities.

Macklemore joined Sheeran as a support act for the US leg of his Loop tour in support of Sheeran's latest album, Play, and is scheduled to join the British singer for further US dates in the coming weeks.

Since the start of Israel's devastating assault on Gaza in October 2023, Macklemore has repeatedly used his platform to amplify Palestinian voices, condemn Israel's actions and advocate for Palestinian freedom.

In 2024, he released "Hind's Hall", a protest anthem supporting pro-Palestine student encampments across US university campuses and paying tribute to six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed alongside members of her family in Gaza after coming under Israeli fire.

Its follow-up, "Hind's Hall 2", condemned the former Biden administration's support for Israel during its assault on Gaza.