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Problems continue to pile up for the Ed Sheeran concert this Saturday.
Local organizations, the Philly Palestine Coalition and Shut Down D&Z, are teaming up for a protest outside of Lincoln Financial Field at 4:30 p.m. The announcement comes days after rapper Macklemore was removed from the opening lineup for chanting “Free Palestine” and displaying images of the war in Gaza at an earlier tour performance.
“Free Palestine is a call to direct action. On Saturday, we take to the streets to return the conversation to Palestine, and return Philadelphia to action,” the groups announced on social media. “Ed Sheeran plays at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday, his first show after caving to Zionist threats and dropping Macklemore as his opening act.”
The post includes an image of Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” poster ripped in half, as someone wearing a keffiyeh breaks through holding what appears to be a gun. New England Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft’s face is posted on top with black exes over his eyes.
According to an Instagram post from the “Hind’s Hall” rapper, Kraft created a pressure campaign involving other stadium owners to remove Macklemore from the lineup. He called Macklemore’s performance “deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community” and said Gillette Stadium is dedicated to “providing a welcoming environment for all guests,” in a statement with Rolling Stone.
“[Ed Sheeran] told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flags were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with,” Macklemore wrote. “I told him that if those words were more offensive than the tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood.”
While Sheeran said that the decision to cancel Macklemore from the lineup was not his, he also said, “There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics — my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds.”
However, even the decision to remain apolitical can be a statement in itself. After Sheeran’s post on Tuesday, four different opening acts pulled out of the “Loop Tour,” including Aaron Rowe, Beoga, Lukas Graham and Finneas. Irish acts Rowe and Beoga were scheduled to play this weekend.
“We were there for Macklemore’s performance and speech,” Beoga wrote in a statement. “We fully supported his message, so did most of the audience in Met Life Stadium, which terrifies the lobbies.”
In an open letter on Facebook, the Philly chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations highlighted the fact that the Linc is owned by the city and sits on public property.
“Philadelphia taxpayers helped make this stadium possible. The public has a right to know how this power is being used,” they stated. “This is about more than one artist. It’s about free expression, public accountability, and whether advocacy for Palestinian human rights can become grounds for exclusion from a major venue operating on publicly-owned property.”
Ticket holders looking for refunds due to the lineup change told Billy Penn that Lincoln Financial Field has begun issuing them.
“There is no neutrality against oppression, only complicity. When the news cycle has moved on, we will still be here,” the protest groups wrote in the announcement. “Join us. FREE PALESTINE, FREE LEBANON, FREE CUBA, FREE CONGO, FREE SUDAN.”
