New Delhi: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has criticised New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft after rapper Macklemore was pulled from Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour following his pro-Palestinian remarks.
“It’s not just what has happened with the act and not just in removing Macklemore from the lineup, but when you see what Robert Kraft did to line up all of the stadiums to censor speech in that one specific way, it’s become clear that this is not just about one music artist or two music artists,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a clip shared by Fox News.
“This is about how just a handful of stadium owners and the elite can prevent an entire massive issue, in this case, the genocide in Gaza,” she added.
In a separate clip posted by TMZ on whether the British singer bore any responsibility, the Congresswoman said that while everyone involved plays a role, attention should centre on Kraft and “the actual people who are kind of twisting things here.”
“We need to be very clear about how dangerous a precedent this sets,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Macklemore, 43, joined Sheeran’s US tour as an opening act. However, he was only able to perform two shows at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in early September. At the first performance, he shouted “Free Palestine.” The backlash was quick. Pro-Israel groups denounced Macklemore, with the Israeli American Council launching a petition demanding the ‘Shape of You’ singer remove him from the rest of the tour.
On Monday, Macklemore claimed that he was dropped after Sheeran was pressured by Kraft ahead of the singer’s upcoming show at Massachusetts’s Gillette Stadium.
Within hours, all artists supporting Sheeran — Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe, and Beoga — withdrew from the tour.
Their exits came hours after Sheeran addressed the controversy around Macklemore’s removal. In a social media post on Tuesday, Sheeran said that the decision was made after pressure from venues and the tour promoter.
According to him, Macklemore had asked to join the tour last year, and Sheeran agreed because he respected him as an artist. However, following the controversy earlier this month, Sheeran revealed that several venues objected to having the rapper perform.
“I was informed this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance. Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision; it was not mine,” Sheeran said.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)