Robert Kraft says Ed Sheeran asked him to donate $2m to aid after Macklemore backlash

Robert Kraft says Ed Sheeran asked him to donate $2m to aid after Macklemore backlash

The US stadium owner who had pro-Palestinian rapper Macklemore removed as Ed Sheeran's opening act at his venue says Sheeran asked him to donate $2m to "aid in the region".

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced the planned pledge in his second statement this week on the dispute, without saying exactly where the money would be directed.

Kraft confirmed on Monday that he had Macklemore dropped as the opening act from Sheeran's upcoming Loop Tour at Gillette Stadium near Boston, accusing the rapper of hate speech.

After a backlash, Sheeran said the decision to remove Macklemore was made by promoters and that he would not be drawn into a public debate over Gaza.

On Wednesday, Macklemore said he would give $1m to Palestinian organisations, challenging Kraft to match the amount.

In a statement later that day, Kraft, 85, said: "Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis.

"Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges."

In the statement, issued by Gillette Stadium on Kraft's behalf, he said he wanted those speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that he has long "supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians".

He also said he has worked to bring "young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships".

"I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people," Kraft said. "I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting."

The owner of the Kraft Group, a sports and event management company, did not say whether he had urged other stadium owners to ban Macklemore from their venues, as the rapper claims.

Macklemore - real name Benjamin Haggerty - called for a "free Palestine" and showed images of devastation in Gaza during two Sheeran concerts in New Jersey earlier this month.

He was removed on Monday from Sheeran's line-up, just days before the tour was due to resume in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.

Sheeran, who performed at Kraft's 2022 wedding, said on Tuesday he was not responsible for Macklemore being taken off the tour as an opening act.

Kraft, who is Jewish, confirmed on Monday that he had decided to bar Macklemore from Gillette Stadium because his venue would not "provide a platform for hate speech".

The tycoon accused the Grammy-winning rapper of having "a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric", which Macklemore denies.

He also said the pro-Palestinian artist was "only sharing selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas".

All the other support acts from Sheeran's US tour have since quit in solidarity with Macklemore.

They are Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham, as well as Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Sheeran on stage every night.

The artists said Macklemore's removal represented a chilling effect on free speech.

Macklemore said on Wednesday he would donate the full $1m of his net earnings from Sheeran's Loop Tour to six Palestinian organisations "to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people".

"This is a manmade injustice, and I believe it requires immediate political change," he wrote on social media.