American rapper, Macklemore, has announced a “Free Palestine” tour, days after he was removed from British singer Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour over his pro-Palestinian comments.
The rapper, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, announced the new tour on Thursday, saying proceeds would be donated to organisations supporting Palestinians.
“So, as you all know, my schedule freed up a bit,” Macklemore said while announcing the tour.
The development comes after his comments during a performance earlier this month led to his removal from Sheeran’s tour.
Sheeran’s other support acts subsequently pulled out, while the British singer maintained that the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the tour’s promoter.
In a statement, Macklemore said the events of the past few weeks had demonstrated what he described as “a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now”.
“What happened to me is bigger than one artist or one stage,” he said.
“When the billionaire class can decide which voices are allowed on stage and which ones are too dangerous to hear, everyone should be paying attention.”
The tour will begin in Dublin, Ireland, on October 26, before moving to Paris on October 29 and London on October 30.
Macklemore said dates in the United States would also be added, with tickets for the additional shows expected to go on sale next week.
Macklemore had earlier told concertgoers in New Jersey that he wanted to use his performances to speak publicly in support of Palestinians.
He also performed a song dedicated to pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University.
After his removal from Sheeran’s tour on September 14, Macklemore accused stadium owners of working together to push him out.
Billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft also accused him of hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric relating to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Sheeran later addressed the controversy, saying he had made “mistakes” in handling the situation and describing the Israel-Gaza conflict as a humanitarian issue.
He condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks as “horrific” and described the situation in Gaza as “unjustifiable and disproportionate”.
