Photo via Evening Standard

Kneecap offer ‘love and solidarity’ to Macklemore after Ed Sheeran tour dumping

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗
Cite

Willix, P. (2026, September 15). Kneecap offer ‘love and solidarity’ to Macklemore after Ed Sheeran tour dumping. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/ed-sheeran-kneecap-cmat-instagram-west-bank-b1297058.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Evening Standard · collected 2026-09-15 · by Pierra Willix

Quick Summary

Macklemore, the American rapper known as Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, faced backlash during Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour when he mentioned Gaza and the West Bank from the stage in New Jersey last week. Following his removal from the tour, Macklemore received support from various artists including Kneecap, who expressed solidarity with a post stating “Free Palestine” on social media. Other supporters like Paloma Faith and Garbage condemned Sheeran’s decision, calling it unjust. Macklemore emphasized that advocating for equal treatment of all humans should not be controversial, highlighting the ongoing plight in Gaza where over 20,000 children have been killed since 2008.
Written by AI on 2026-09-16, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after making pro-Palestinian comments at concerts. The rapper was removed following his chants of “Free Palestine” and criticism of Israel's actions as apartheid and genocide during performances in New Jersey. Promoters for the tour, Messina Touring Group, confirmed they received notifications from American venues that Macklemore would not be allowed to perform, potentially resulting in tour cancellation. Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium where Sheeran was scheduled to play, reportedly pressured Sheeran over Macklemore’s involvement. In response, Charlotte Church criticized Ed Sheeran during a concert for prioritizing profits over addressing the Gaza conflict.

Written for “Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 120 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Macklemore Dropped From Ed Sheeran Tour
Entertainment · 121 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 28 claims Outlet record 65/100
National Post
Hedges 2 of 24 claims Outlet record 60/100
Al Jazeera
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 60/100
BBC News
Hedges 3 of 34 claims Outlet record 69/100
CBC News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 45 claims Outlet record 60/100
CBS News
Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 65/100
Global News
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 1 of 49 claims Outlet record 63/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 34 claims Outlet record 65/100
Al Jazeera
Hedges 0 of 22 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A reports on Macklemre's support from Kneecap after being fired, while Article B discusses his pledge to donate $1m from tour earnings to Palestinian groups.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
26
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 26 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
65/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
121
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-16 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 7829 article(s) · 62 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 62 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Pierra Willix
75 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 It was later announced that Neon, the production studio behind Oscar-winning films Anora and Parasite, would release the movie.
🔮 “Just a few days ago, we saw that the US might broadcast an execution.
🔮 But what does it reveal about society and humanity that we like watching these things? “Just a few days ago, we saw that the US might broadcast an execution.
🔮 The eliminated couple will appear on It Takes Two on Monday.
🔮 Grant has now said that despite his slip-up, he was convinced none of the other contestants would have taken his comment seriously.
🔮 Jumping in, Kate then said: “Oh look, William, it’s the woman from Suits.”
2026-10-11 · assertive framing · SNL UK sketch mocks Andrew, Harry and Meghan
🔮 I just thought that one day I wanted to be able to have a tiny apartment that was mine and that I could pay for by writing.
🔮 To come and do something like this, I felt so out of my comfort zone and saw myself in a way I never saw myself, and it challenged me in ways I never knew I could be challenged.
🔮 Despite having a string of film hits under her belt, Dame Judi also recalled how she was once told early in her career by a Hollywood film producer that she would “never make a movie because you have every single thing wrong with your face”.
🔮 The pop singer, 44, is set to release a 25th anniversary edition of her Britney album on November 6.
Also by Pierra Willix
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 75 articles by Pierra Willix →

Topics

American Gaza Kneecap New Jersey Palestine

Subjects

Macklemore PERSON · 7× American NORP · 3× Palestine GPE · 3× Gaza GPE · 2× Kneecap ORG · 2× Benjamin Hammond Haggerty PERSON · 1× Irish NORP · 1× New Jersey GPE · 1× Sheeran PERSON · 1× the West Bank GPE · 1×

Narrative

During a show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last week, Macklemore, 43, said that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten, which led to a petition demanding he be removed from the remaining dates.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-16
🔮 Artists’ very active silence in the face of injustice and genocide will not be forgotten.”

Claims (26 extracted, 0 hedged)

The American rapper, real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, had been supporting Sheeran, 35, on the US leg of his Loop Tour. asserted
rapper → support → Tour
During a show at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last week, Macklemore, 43, said that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten, which led to a petition demanding he be removed from the remaining dates. asserted
he → say → dates
Since announcing he had been fired, the rapper has received support from fellow musicians, including Irish rap trio Kneecap. asserted
rapper → announce → Kneecap
Commenting on his post, they wrote: “Free Palestine. asserted
they → comment → Palestine
They can never silence the truth.” asserted
They → silence → truth
They posted a photo with the rapper, which they captioned: “All love and solidarity to @macklemore. asserted
they → post → @macklemore
Paloma Faith said: “You are a rare and important voice … thank you for existing…. asserted
You → say → you
Reposting a comment Macklemore referenced in his post, Bob Vylan commented: “There is no thanks for a duty.” asserted
Vylan → reposte → duty
Posting a lengthy statement, American rock band Garbage said Macklemore being dumped from the tour was “sheer madness”. asserted
dumped → post → tour
Can I remind everyone that nothing Macklemore actually said was violent or hateful or remotely radical,” they wrote. asserted
they → remind → everyone
“Those who exile, silence and censor others are never the good guys. asserted
who → exile → others
No matter what you tell yourself. asserted
you → tell → yourself
Just because you ignore the truth doesn’t make the truth go away or make it any less potent. asserted
it → ignore → truth
American singer Kehlani wrote: “A LOT of the venues / owners are rallied together this way. asserted
LOT → write → owners
Australian singer Tones and I – real name Toni Watson – also said: “Love you Ben! asserted
Tones → say → you
Greta Thunberg added: “Full solidarity and free Palestine. asserted
Thunberg → add → solidarity
Artists’ very active silence in the face of injustice and genocide will not be forgotten.” asserted
silence → forget → injustice
After posting a video of himself on stage during the concert, Macklemore said on social media that “wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial”. asserted
humans → post → media
In the post announcing he had been let go from the tour, Macklemore also said he was not a “victim”. asserted
he → announce → tour
He wrote: “The victims are the Palestinian people. asserted
victims → write → ?
The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence. asserted
who → kill → violence
“More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. asserted
children → kill → Gaza
People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. asserted
people → kill → ?
I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.” asserted
we → want → that
Earlier this year Macklemore was also among more than 1,100 artists, musicians and cultural workers who called for a boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest over the inclusion of Israel. asserted
who → call → Israel
The letter, co-ordinated by campaign group No Music For Genocide, was also signed by artists including Kneecap, Faith and Massive Attack. asserted
letter → co → Kneecap
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support