Pink amplifies backlash against Macklemore over ‘Free Palestine’ remarks

Pop star Pink has waded into the controversy surrounding rapper Macklemore’s pro-Palestinian remarks at Ed Sheeran’s MetLife Stadium concerts, reposting an Instagram Story from the advocacy group StopAntisemitism that blasted the rapper’s performance and demanded refunds for concertgoers.

Pink did not add commentary of her own to the repost, but the move amplified pressure on Mr. Sheeran to remove Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, from the remainder of his U.S. tour dates.

Macklemore ignited the controversy on Friday and Saturday, when he opened for Mr. Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and used part of his set to call for a “Free Palestine” before performing his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall” as Gaza-related imagery played on the stadium’s screens. He wore a keffiyeh onstage both nights, telling the crowd he wanted to use the platform to say “two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine.”

The remarks drew a mixed reaction from the crowd, with cheers from some fans and discomfort from others, including several Israeli attendees who said they felt ambushed. Long Island resident Lauren Chizner told CBS New York that a video shown behind Macklemore depicted Israeli soldiers portrayed as Nazis, and said she and others in her group walked out during his set and returned only once Mr. Sheeran took the stage. The Anti-Defamation League separately condemned Macklemore’s comments as unacceptable, per the same report. Mr. Sheeran has not publicly commented on the controversy.

In response, the Israeli-American Council, which says it represents more than 150,000 Israeli-Americans, launched a petition calling on Mr. Sheeran and tour organizers to drop Macklemore from the rest of the Loop Tour’s American leg. The petition argued that using a global concert platform to advance what it called a one-sided political agenda crossed a line beyond simply holding political views.

Macklemore has stood by his remarks. During his second MetLife performance, he told the audience directly, “criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you,” addressing the line to what he called his “Jewish brothers and sisters,” according to CBS New York. Separately, in an Instagram post Monday recapping the episode, he wrote that “wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial.”

Pink’s repost drew its own wave of criticism from Macklemore’s supporters online, though she has not publicly explained her decision to share the post. As of this writing, Macklemore remains on the tour, and neither Mr. Sheeran nor Pink has issued a fuller statement on the dispute.