In case you missed it, Macklemore-gate has continued. The latest instalment: Ed Sheeran enduring a humiliation ritual at the opening of his most recent concert.
Ed Sheeran addresses the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his tour and says, “What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable.”
— Variety (@Variety) September 20, 2026
“Before I play some songs tonight, I hope it’s okay if I say a few words about this last week,” Sheeran said at the top of… pic.twitter.com/ZhtujolkKK
He also had this to say at the end:
📲| Ed’s full speech thanking for the support:
— Ed Sheeran Access (@AccessEdSheeran) September 20, 2026
‘The last week of my life was been one of the worst weeks… tonight has been honestly the best show of my life’
‘In this situations you really find out who your friends are… people I’ve knew from years ago are backing away’ pic.twitter.com/7iZIxrcujC
On one hand, he acknowledged what happened on October 7 – which is more than most, especially those in the entertainment industry. He also admitted to not knowing enough. And he certainly did not say “Free Palestine.” Also, let’s not forget this:
We ❤️ this so much.
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) September 30, 2024
Former hostage Noa Argamani met Ed Sheeran and Post Malone via @scooterbraun who made the introduction.
Noa you deserve all the happiness in the world. pic.twitter.com/BjJEoDyPUB
His acknowledgement that he was not sure he or his audience would be safe is also telling. This is basically an admission that he knows the “Free Palestine” crowd are not all that peaceful.
On the other hand, he is wrong about Gaza. Not that the deaths of children and any innocent civilians are not a tragedy. Of course they are. But calling it “unjustifiable” and “disproportionate” makes it sound like Israel is to blame for its response, and not Hamas, who not only invited such a response, but have cynically used children and other civilians as their human shields.
Mind you, the opening remarks seemed very scripted. Ed Sheeran was reading from a teleprompter. His remarks at the end seemed more natural and directly from the heart.
Having said all of this, this post is not about roasting Ed Sheeran. Part of me feels sorry for him – for stupidly putting himself in this position by allowing Macklemore and friends to open for him in the beginning. I say stupidly because I do not think he was being malicious. And while I came down hard on him for remaining silent for too long, I can’t help but think he is a do-gooder who found himself in over his head.
The main point of this post is to again show just how evil the “Free Palestine” crowd are. A group that counts Alana Hadid aka the least famous, least attractive Hadid daughter – among their flock.
Alana Hadid's reaction to Ed Sheeran's pre concert speech – in which he said "what is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable" – speaks volumes.
— David Lange (@Israellycool) September 20, 2026
Note her mockery of his acknowledgement of the October 7 atrocities and centuries of Jewish pain.
These are the people who… pic.twitter.com/jktkAUfUm5
She is furious at Ed Sheeran because he won’t perpetuate the “genocide” libel. But more than that, she mocks his acknowledgement of the October 7 atrocities and centuries of Jewish pain.
Others, like American stand-up “comedian” and political commentator Jimmy Dore, decided bashing Sheehan for his speech needed a complimentary antisemitic trope – that of the Jews controlling foreign governments:
Ed Sheeran calls for “UNITY”.
— Jimmy Dore (@jimmy_dore) September 20, 2026
No shit.
FYI: According to Sheeran, Unity Means ignoring a Genocide & a foreign government controlling the government of the U.S.
Fuck off with that bullshit @edsheeran https://t.co/UpJUS9oGfK
There is no appeasing this mob.
Ed Sheeran attempted to appease ‘Free Palestine’ activists by calling the Gaza war “unjustifiable” and donating $2 million to Palestinian aid.
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) September 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Palestine activists:
“F**k your concert, f**k your fans, Palestine is our demand.” pic.twitter.com/4gGLHz9Gvk
To these haters, nuance is treason and compromise is complicity.
Ed Sheeran tried – awkwardly and certainly imperfectly – to say that innocent people are suffering while refusing to erase the crimes committed against Israelis. For the “Free Palestine” mob, even that limited expression of balance was intolerable.
This was never about compassion for all civilians. It is about hatred for certain ones.
