Sting says Ed Sheeran is in ‘difficult dilemma’ amid Macklemore controversy

Sting has said Ed Sheeran is in a “difficult dilemma” amid the ongoing controversy over Macklemore’s removal from the singer’s Loop Tour.

Sting has said Ed Sheeran is in a “difficult dilemma” amid the ongoing controversy over Macklemore’s removal from the singer’s Loop Tour.

Earlier this month, Macklemore announced that he had been removed from Sheeran’s tour following pro-Palestinian comments he made during an earlier concert. The decision triggered further controversy after several other supporting acts withdrew from the tour in solidarity with the rapper.

Macklemore claimed that Robert Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium, personally contacted Sheeran and said he would not be allowed to perform at the venue. Sheeran later said he had spoken with Kraft, the venues and the tour promoter in an effort to find a resolution, but maintained that Macklemore’s removal was the promoter’s decision.

During an appearance on Sky News, Sting was asked about the distinction between censorship and a venue exercising its right to stop a performance.

“There’s a very, very obvious distinction between hate speech – which everyone abhors – and legitimate political criticism,” Sting said. “The latter is something [that is] one of our rights as a democracy. In a functioning democracy, you have to be able to take political criticism in a public forum. That is part of the deal.”

Asked whether he felt for Sheeran amid the controversy, Sting replied, “It’s a difficult dilemma that he’s in.”

Sting has been involved in social and political causes for decades, using his platform to raise awareness of issues including global famine and deforestation. He also performed on Band Aid’s 1984 charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Meanwhile, Sheeran returned to the stage on September 19 for a concert at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, where he addressed the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s departure from the tour.

“I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry,” Sheeran told the audience.

Sheeran also said he had never wanted to be an “activist musician” but acknowledged that the controversy had placed him in the middle of a debate over freedom of speech. He went on to describe the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.”