Aaron Rowe, who was one of the opening acts on Ed Sheeran’s tour but dropped out after Macklemore was fired for supporting Palestine, has issued a passionate defense of the singer.
“I think y’all are focusing on the wrong people. All I keep hearing is Ed Sheeran this, Ed Sheeran that. When you should really be paying attention to people like Robert Craft. You should really be paying attention to the Zionist lobby who are trying to silence the voices of people who are speaking out about the genocide that is happening in Palestine in Israel,” Rob Palestine posted to the story on his Instagram account on Friday.
He continued, “Look, I know Ed’s statement could have been a lot better, and I do think Macklemore should not have been canceled from the tour. I fully believe there was panic over there and they made a hasty decision because they didn’t know what to do because they got it from every angle. It was a mistake… I didn’t get a chance to fucking talk to Ed much, but I fully believe he knew it was a mistake.”
Rowe went on to point out that most of the artists in Sheeran’s opening lineup support Palestine. “Look who’s on the fucking lineup, huh? Beoga, the most pro-Palestinian group out there… Totally pro-Palestinian, fucking McLemore. Need I say more? I, everyone knows where I stand on Palestine. Like, if Ed Sheeran is a fucking Zionist, why is he letting all these fucking people on the fucking tour? This is the human fucking mistake tour.”
The Irish singer-songwriter’s video comes as Sheeran continues to face backlash over Macklemore’s ouster from the tour. In addition to Rowe, another opener, Finnis, has also withdrawn from the tour. When Rowe dropped out, he admitted that Sheeran “changed my life,” a point he reiterates in this video.
“I know Ed Sheeran has done a lot for a lot of people, including artists like me, and he’s literally changed their lives. He has nothing but goodness in his heart. That’s Ed Sheeran. Yes, he makes mistakes just like everyone else.”
Rowe concluded: “You should use this opportunity to plaster Robert Kraft’s face everywhere. He’s a man who’s trying to shut down free speech. A man who’s trying to silence the voices of people who are speaking out about genocide. That’s what you should be spending your energy on, not fucking Ed Sheeran, for fuck’s sake.”