Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday night. The rally came as Ed Sheeran returned to the stage for the first time since Macklemore was dropped from the Loop Tour.
The demonstration was planned for 4:30 p.m., ahead of Sheeran’s 8 p.m. show. Crowd estimates differed by outlet. Variety put the number at around 100. CBS Philadelphia counted about 50 people at Broad and Pattison streets. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported dozens of activists near the SEPTA station.
Demonstrators chanted and held flags and signs. Some signs read “Gaza: Aid In Soldiers Out.” Police monitored the peaceful gathering from a distance.
Chanting demonstrators also confronted some concertgoers
The Philly Palestine Coalition and Shut Down D&Z teamed up for the protest. Organizers said speakers from Writers Against the War on Gaza and the Boycott Cooknsolo Coalition were expected.
Jodi Rhoden, an organizer at Writers Against the War in Gaza, said the protest is about <a href="https://comicvibe.com/more-than-just-a-high-score-a-memoir-of-my-favorite-virtual-worlds/" title="More Than Just A High Score : A Memoir Of My Favorite Virtual Worlds”>more than Sheeran or Macklemore. She called it a movement for Palestinian lives. She said it would not stop until Palestine is free.
Views from the crowd
Some protesters called Macklemore’s removal an act of censorship.
One protester told CBS Philadelphia that Sheeran could have made a statement by supporting Palestinian people. The protester said the concert going ahead mattered less than real help for people in need.
Philadelphia’s Jewish Voice for Peace said the reaction to the removal shows that support for Palestinian liberation is growing daily.
How Macklemore was dropped
Macklemore opened Sheeran’s shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sept. 4 and 5. He performed his 2024 song “Hind’s Hall,” showed footage from Gaza and called for a “Free Palestine.”
Tour promoter Messina Touring Group later announced he would no longer appear on the remaining dates. TRT World reports the removal came on Monday. It says venue owners, led by billionaire Robert Kraft, objected to his remarks.
Sheeran, 35, denied involvement in the decision and blamed tour promoters.
Statements from both sides
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Gillette Stadium said it aims to provide a welcoming environment for all guests. The statement called Macklemore’s performance deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.
Macklemore wrote that Sheeran told him the words “Free Palestine” and the Palestinian flags had hurt many people. Macklemore said he replied that a disconnect existed if those words offended people more than the deaths of Palestinian children.
Calls over public property
The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations posted an open letter on Facebook. It noted that the stadium is owned by the city and sits on public land. The letter said taxpayers helped build it and the public has a right to know how power is used there.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel widened its call. It urged a boycott of Sheeran’s entire world tour. That includes the Latin American dates and a European leg that has not been announced.
Tour fallout
Four scheduled supporting acts walked out after Macklemore’s removal. Finneas was among them. Sheeran opened the show by calling the situation in Gaza unjustifiable. He also apologized to fans for making mistakes.
Forbes reported a 2.5 times rise in resale tickets sold for the Philadelphia show. Resale tickets on Ticketmaster went for as low as $32.25 hours before the show. The lowest resale price on Friday afternoon was $66.30.
A Palestinian artist painted a mural of Macklemore on the wall of a destroyed house in Gaza City on Sept. 17. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton also backed Macklemore after the removal.
- Ed Sheeran
