Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized billionaire NFL owner Robert Kraft for ramping up pressure to have rapper Macklemore removed from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. stadium tour following “Free Palestine” advocacy during recent concerts.
During performances at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month, Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, spoke out against the war in Gaza and performed his pro-Palestinian protest track, “Hind’s Hall.”
Following his remarks, he said Mr. Sheeran informed him that Mr. Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and the Boston area’s Gillette Stadium, where the tour was scheduled to stop, refused to let him perform.
Macklemore further stated that Mr. Kraft rallied an alliance of other stadium owners to issue an ultimatum: Drop the rapper or lose the venues.
“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,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, said Tuesday. “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.”
Mr. Kraft, who is Jewish, confirmed he barred Macklemore from Gillette Stadium, citing the rapper’s actions as part of a “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery” that crossed a line.
The stadium has a “longstanding commitment to providing a welcoming environment for all guests and ensuring that all events held at our venue do not provide a platform for hate speech,” Mr. Kraft added.
He did not explicitly address whether he lobbied other venue owners.
The tour’s promoter, Messina Touring Group, officially pulled Macklemore from the lineup after multiple stadiums threatened to cancel the shows entirely. Mr. Sheeran clarified that he was not involved in the removal decision, preferring to remain apolitical.
When asked about Mr. Sheeran’s responsibility in the ousting, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez pointed her focus at Mr. Kraft and “the actual people who are kind of twisting things here.”
She added, “We need to be very clear about how dangerous a precedent this is.”
The lawmaker alluded to censorship beyond this circumstance.
“It could be speaking out about AI. It could be speaking out about any issue,” she said. “That can now just get a handful of stadium owners to ensure that an entire person’s career can be jeopardized if they speak out about any issue.”
In solidarity with Macklemore and in protest of the billionaire-led venue block, all other supporting acts on the tour — including Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and the band Beoga — quit the tour.
Macklemore announced he’s donating the $1 million in net earnings he made while on the tour to multiple Palestinian aid organizations, publicly challenging Mr. Kraft to match his donation.
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