Robert Kraft says he barred Macklemore from Ed Sheeran's Gillette shows

Robert Kraft says he personally decided to bar Macklemore from opening for Ed Sheeran at Gillette Stadium.

Kraft confirmed the decision in a statement reported on 14 September, saying Macklemore would not appear at Sheeran's two upcoming shows at the Massachusetts stadium, Rolling Stone reported.

Kraft linked the decision to Macklemore's recent actions, to material shared from the stage during Sheeran's shows in New Jersey, and to what he described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. He said that rhetoric and imagery had been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.

Gillette Stadium does not provide a platform for hate speech, Kraft said. Allowing Macklemore to take part in the two Gillette dates would cross that line.

Macklemore had joined Sheeran's Loop tour in early September for two shows at MetLife Stadium outside New York City. During that appearance, he said "Free Palestine," expressed solidarity with people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, showed images of devastation from Israel's war on Gaza, and performed his protest song "Hind's Hall."

Kraft said the ban was not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf.

The effect goes beyond Massachusetts. Macklemore has been dropped from the rest of Sheeran's Loop tour, not only the Gillette Stadium shows.