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Macklemore performs onstage wearing a jacket with the Palestinian flag at Accor Arena on May 29, 2024 in Paris, France.<\/span>Kristy Sparow\/Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Robert Kraft,<\/span> the billionaire owner of, among a ton of other stuff, the New England Patriots and its stadium, allegedly pressured Ed Sheeran and his team to remove rapper Macklemore from his tour after Macklemore voiced support for Palestinians amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza. All<\/a> four<\/a> of<\/a> the<\/a> remaining opening acts withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore by Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n \u201cArtists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,\u201d Finneas, a music artist best known for co-writing and producing much of his sister Billie Eilish\u2019s work, wrote on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cI have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.\u201d<\/p>\n On Monday, Macklemore alleged<\/a> that Kraft told Sheeran that he <\/strong>would not be permitted to perform at his New England Patriots NFL venue, Gillette Stadium, at a show scheduled for later this month. Kraft also rallied some other stadium owners to support Macklemore\u2019s removal.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCollectively they gave [Sheeran] an ultimatum: If Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,\u201d the rapper recounted.\u00a0<\/p>\n Macklemore opened for two shows on Sheeran\u2019s tour, playing at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5. During his set, the rapper performed \u201cHind\u2019s Hall<\/a>,\u201d his 2024 song that voices support for protests on college campuses demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza war, divestment from Israel, and an <\/strong>end to the genocide. Activists renamed Hamilton Hall<\/a> at Columbia University to \u201cHind\u2019s Hall\u201d to honor Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed<\/a> by the IDF in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFree Palestine,\u201d Macklemore said<\/a> to many cheers from the crowd before performing the song. \u201cI want to say those words loud and clear so the people of Gaza all the way to the West Bank know that we have not forgotten them.\u201d<\/p>\n