Dearborn Mayor Offers Spotlight to Macklemore After Ed Sheeran’s Tour Boots Rapper Over Israel Remarks

The rapper Macklemore has been invited by the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, to perform at a city-sponsored concert despite — or perhaps because of — his having been kicked off pop singer Ed Sheeran’s concert tour over disparaging comments about Israel.“If they don’t want you performing in their stadiums, you’re always welcome in Dearborn,” the city’s mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, wrote to Macklemore on X following his ouster by Mr. Sheeran’s tour managers.“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 mayor wrote.Mr. Hammoud made history as Dearborn’s first Muslim and first Arab American mayor. Dearborn has the largest Muslim population per capita in America.Macklemore has not publicly shared whether he plans to take Mr. Hammoud up on his offer.During a performance at MetLife Stadium earlier this month, Macklemore accused Israel of carrying out a genocide and called ICE a “terrorist” organization. On Monday, he posted on Instagram that the owner of Gillette Stadium, Robert Kraft, “rallied” other stadium owners — venues that were stops on Mr. Sheeran’s tour — to block him from performing at their venues. Macklemore said the stadium owners told Mr. Sheeran that he would not be allowed to perform at the venues if the rapper was not kicked off the tour. Mr. Kraft, who founded the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, said the decision was made in light of Macklemore’s “recent actions” and “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric,” but added that he would welcome a chance to have a conversation with him. Mr. Sheeran said in a post on Instagram that Macklemore asked to join his tour last year. The singer said the decision to remove Macklemore was made by his tour promoter. He also defended his decision not to publicly share his own views on Israel, writing, “Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum.”“I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy, and keep conversations open, not closed,” Mr. Sheeran said. “If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will change.”The comment comes after Macklemore questioned whether his friendship with Mr. Sheeran would survive their “painful disagreement” over his participation in the tour.

Dearborn Mayor Offers Spotlight to Macklemore After Ed Sheeran’s Tour Boots Rapper Over Israel Remarks

Dearborn Mayor Offers Spotlight to Macklemore After Ed Sheeran’s Tour Boots Rapper Over Israel Remarks

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