The Patriots Have Banned Macklemore From Gillette Stadium

The New England Patriots announced on Monday that rapper Macklemore has been banned from performing at Gillette Stadium.

Macklemore, who has been on tour with Ed Sheeran, is not being welcomed at the home of the New England Patriots later this fall. Macklemore says that he has been dropped from the remaining dates of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour. The American rapper had shown public support for Palestine during shows.

The “Thrift Shop” rapper posted a lengthy statement to his Instagram account on Monday alleging that Sheeran was called by Patriots owner Robert Kraft to inform him that the rapper was not welcome in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Sheeran and Macklemore were scheduled to play at the venue, which is owned by Kraft Entertainment + Sports Group, later in September.

“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” Macklemore wrote.

“He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flags were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with,” Macklemore added. “I told him that if those words were more offensive than the tens of thousands of Palestinian children being killed by Israel, then there was a fundamental disconnect between where those people stood and where I stood.”