DEARBORN — The removal of rapper Macklemore from British singer Ed Sheeran’s tour after he chanted “Free Palestine” onstage during one of its New Jersey concerts has sparked widespread outrage in artistic and public circles across the United States, reaching Dearborn, where Mayor Abdullah Hammoud invited Macklemore to perform in the city.

“Hey Macklemore, if they don’t want you performing in their stadiums, you’re always welcome in Dearborn,” Hammoud wrote Monday on X. “Come put on a show here. We’ll make it a free concert, sponsored by the city, and help make it one of the best around. We stand with you and for a free Palestine. Let’s make it happen.”

The Seattle-based rapper was removed from Sheeran’s tour following remarks he delivered onstage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey during his opening set at the September 4 concert.

“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,’” Macklemore said onstage, according to Variety. “I said, ‘Free Palestine!’”

At a certain level of reach and fame, saying ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too great a risk. – Macklemore

“I want those words to be loud and clear, so that people all the way from Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten about them,” he added.

He then performed his 2024 single “Hind’s Hall”, which addresses the pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University in New York who occupied an academic building on campus after 5-year-old Hind Rajab was killed in Gaza in 2024.

Concertgoers cheered Macklemore during the performance, but criticism quickly emerged online. The Israeli American Council launched a petition calling for his removal from the tour, while the group StopAntisemitism claimed Macklemore had surprised the audience with political propaganda. Pop star Pink subsequently shared that allegation on Instagram.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud: “We stand with you and for a free Palestine. Let’s make it happen.”

The following night, Macklemore returned to the same stage and directly addressed his “Jewish brothers and sisters” in the audience.

“Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid and being against genocide is in no way criticism of you,” he said, adding that he only wanted the people of Gaza and the West Bank to know that they had “not been forgotten.”

Macklemore’s performance generated widespread mixed reaction, and the fallout ultimately led to his removal from the tour following a decision by its promoters.

“As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans,” Messina Touring Group said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

In a message posted to Instagram, Macklemore — who had been scheduled to perform at eight of Sheeran’s 10 remaining concerts — said his performance at MetLife Stadium was no different from what he had been saying onstage for years.

“Why is it an issue now?” the “Thrift Shop” rapper wrote. “Because I’m sharing the stage with one of the biggest artists in the world and performing in some of the largest stadiums in America. At a certain level of reach and fame, saying ‘Free Palestine’ becomes too great a risk.”

He also said he did not blame Sheeran for the fallout.

“But as I repeatedly told Ed over the phone, our friendship cannot change my responsibility to speak the truth about what happened,” he added.

Macklemore revealed that the owners of some stadiums hosting the tour, including billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, pressured Sheeran and presented him with a choice: Remove Macklemore or have the concerts at their venues canceled.

Solidarity with Macklemore

In a broad act of protest and solidarity with Macklemore, all the remaining supporting artists and musical groups on Sheeran’s tour withdrew, potentially threatening the continuation of the entire tour.

Among those who withdrew was Finneas, the brother and musical collaborator of pop star Billie Eilish, who said, “Artists should not be silenced when they raise their voices in defense of the oppressed.”

As musicians, playing to crowds every night is a dream, but playing in venues that silence anyone advocating for a free Palestine is not an option for us. – Beoga

Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham also announced their withdrawals, as did Irish folk band Beoga, which had been joining Sheeran onstage every night.

“We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up,” Lukas Graham wrote on Instagram. “Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them.”

“As musicians, playing to crowds every night is a dream, but playing in venues that silence anyone advocating for a free Palestine is not an option for us,” Beoga said in its statement.

The announcements came hours after Sheeran confirmed that he would not be drawn into a public debate over events in Gaza, stressing that he was not responsible for the decision to remove Macklemore from the tour.

“Macklemore coming off the tour was the promoter’s decision, not mine,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram. “I would never let down the fans who had made plans to attend the concerts, nor would I abandon the touring crew or the other supporting artists and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

Sheeran’s North American tour is now in serious trouble, with the British artist finding himself without any remaining opening or supporting acts as his next concert approaches on September 19 in Philadelphia.