Macklemore Says 'Free Palestine' Is Not a 'Criticism' of Jewish People

Macklemore’s latest concert controversy is about two things at once: what he said onstage, and whether an opening act should use a stadium slot for a political message. The remarks came during Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, after Macklemore performed his protest song "Hind’s Hall" and told the crowd he wanted to say "Free Palestine."

The latest response came on Monday, September 7, 2026, through Macklemore’s social media. The source material identifies the platform as social media and the setting as a live concert, but it does not confirm a running time for the speech, the set or the video clip.

What follows is the reported sequence: the Friday performance that drew criticism, the Saturday clarification to Jewish fans, the petition from the Israeli-American Council, and what has, and has not, been said by Ed Sheeran’s side.

What happened at the Ed Sheeran tour stop

Macklemore was opening for Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour during back-to-back shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his Friday opening set drew criticism after he performed "Hind’s Hall" and addressed the crowd directly.

He told the audience: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine."

That line became the center of the response from the Israeli-American Council, a pro-Israel organization that launched a petition calling for Macklemore to be removed from the remaining tour dates.

The next night, Saturday, Macklemore again said "Free Palestine" onstage. He then added a clarification aimed at Jewish audience members, saying his criticism was not directed at them.

The basic timeline, as reported, is:

• Friday: Macklemore performed "Hind’s Hall" and made his onstage "Free Palestine" plea.
• Saturday: He repeated "Free Palestine" and clarified his message to Jewish fans.
• Monday, September 7, 2026: He posted on social media, "Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial."

What Macklemore said to Jewish fans

The most direct answer to the controversy is Macklemore’s own wording from Saturday night. After saying "Free Palestine" again, he told the crowd:

"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. My message is for peace; love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality."

Factually, that is the distinction he made: he separated his criticism of Israel from criticism of Jewish people. He also framed the message as one about human equality, dignity, respect and peace.

My view: the line matters because it shows Macklemore knew how the statement was being received and chose to answer that concern directly. That does not end the disagreement over whether the remarks belonged in that concert setting, but it does make his stated position plain.

He continued by linking the phrase to other causes, saying:

"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."

Those words were part of the same Saturday speech included in his Monday social media post.

Why the backlash started

The backlash identified in the report came from the Israeli-American Council. The organization launched a petition asking for Macklemore’s removal from the remaining Ed Sheeran tour dates.

The petition framed the issue less as a question of whether Macklemore could hold a political opinion, and more as a question of where and how he expressed it. The petition read in part:

"This was an Ed Sheeran concert - not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event."

It also said:

"The issue is not whether Macklemore has the right to hold political views. The question is where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a global concert platform to advance a one-sided political agenda."

That is the central complaint reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The petition objects to the use of an Ed Sheeran concert platform for Macklemore’s political message.

Macklemore’s response took the opposite frame. He wrote on social media: "Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial."

The dispute, then, is not only about the words "Free Palestine." It is also about the setting, the role of an opening act, and how audiences respond when a concert shifts from music into political speech.

Where Ed Sheeran fits into the story

Ed Sheeran is part of the story because Macklemore made the remarks while opening for Sheeran’s Loop Tour. The source does not report Sheeran making a public statement about Macklemore’s comments.

The Hollywood Reporter said it reached out to Sheeran’s representative for comment but had not heard back at the time of publication. That means there is no confirmed response from Sheeran’s side in the source material.

It is worth being careful here. The report does not say Sheeran approved the remarks, opposed them or discussed them publicly. Any claim about his personal view would go beyond what has been reported.

What the disagreement is really about

There are two competing frames in the reported exchange.

Macklemore’s frame is that his message is about equal treatment and human dignity. He told Jewish fans that criticism of Israel was "in no way" criticism of them, and he described his message as peace and love for all human beings.

The Israeli-American Council’s frame is that an Ed Sheeran concert was the wrong venue for that message. Its petition says the concert was "not a political rally" and asks where the line should be drawn when an opening act uses a large concert platform for a political agenda.

Those are different arguments. One is about the meaning of Macklemore’s statement. The other is about whether the statement should have been made in that setting.

For readers trying to catch up quickly, the confirmed points are straightforward:

• Macklemore said "Free Palestine" while opening for Ed Sheeran.
• He later said that criticism of Israel is not criticism of Jewish people.
• The Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling for his removal from remaining tour dates.
• The Hollywood Reporter had no response from Sheeran’s representative at the time of publication.

Why this concert moment spread beyond the venue

Concerts by major pop artists draw audiences who did not necessarily buy tickets for political debate. That is why an opening act’s comments can travel outside the stadium, especially when the headliner is someone with a large global audience.

In this case, Macklemore made the purpose of his tour appearance explicit. He said part of why he wanted to do the tour was to stand in stadiums and say "Free Palestine." That comment helps explain why the petition focused on the concert platform rather than only the phrase itself.

The story also sits within a wider pattern in pop music, where artists’ onstage political statements can become news as quickly as a performance. The source material here does not measure audience reaction inside the venue, so it would be wrong to claim how most concertgoers felt. What is confirmed is the public objection from the Israeli-American Council and Macklemore’s response.

My view: the clearest reading is that Macklemore is not backing away from the phrase. He is trying to define it on his own terms, especially for Jewish listeners who may hear it as personal hostility.

Conclusion

Macklemore says "Free Palestine" is not a criticism of Jewish people, and his Saturday remarks were a direct attempt to separate criticism of Israel from criticism of Jewish fans. The backlash now turns on both meaning and venue: what he meant by the phrase, and whether an Ed Sheeran stadium show was the right place to say it.

If you want the shortest version, read Macklemore’s quoted clarification first, then compare it with the Israeli-American Council’s petition language before deciding where you stand.