Yeah though Trump is trolling the UK and knows nothing of Irish politics.
Just adding that Trump, in addition to knowing a lot about nothing, uses the shot gun approach to politics. It is trolling, up until it's not. Hahaaa, I was just kidding, until I'm not. He's declaring Canada a hostile country today. Canadian Bacon
For people not following the story, here is the tldr.
Ed Sheeran is on tour, and Macklemore is the support act. Macklemore says, 'Free Palestine '. Robert Kraft says this is hate speech and threatens to ban Sheeran from the venues. Sheeran says This sucks, but I have no politics, and I agree. Sheeran's support acts then quit and say you can't 'both-sides' a genocide.
Also, Pink stirred the shit by attacking Macklemore.
I feel sorry for young lads today having to look up to him as the male artist of their time . I had Axel, Vince Neil , Bruce (Springsteen or Dickenson take your pick ), etc…
Macklemore donating $1 million in Ed Sheeran tour earnings
Macklemore is putting his money where his mouth is.
As the fallout from being kicked off Ed Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” continues, the Seattle rapper has pledged to donate his $1 million in earnings from his short stint on the tour to organizations supporting Palestinians — and he challenged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft to do the same.
To anyone who hasn’t followed this week’s headlines, that might sound like a Super Bowl rematch bet come to roost between one of Seattle’s most famous sports fans and an opposing billionaire owner. But it’s the latest development in a saga that has reignited debates about Israel and Palestinians, and free speech and censorship, while threatening to derail one of the year’s biggest concert tours.
“With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs: to the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom,” Macklemore wrote in a Wednesday social media post. “I will be donating the entire $1 million of my net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour to six organizations working directly to support Palestinian people. And I invite Robert Kraft to match my donation. Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protecting. A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any other life on this earth.”
Earlier this week, Macklemore was kicked off Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” over a “free Palestine” speech he delivered onstage during a performance at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. In a statement relaying a phone call with Sheeran, Macklemore accused Kraft of rallying other NFL stadium operators and threatening to prevent Sheeran from performing at the venues unless Macklemore was dropped from the tour.
Kraft, who owns the Patriots and Gillette Stadium — where Sheeran is scheduled to play two shows next week — responded with a statement saying that the venue would not host events that “provide a platform for hate speech.” He called Macklemore’s remarks “deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”
“This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf,” Kraft wrote. “Their pain and loss are real. But that advocacy should not come at the expense of the Jewish community or obscure the responsibility of Hamas, a United States and globally (including Canada, European Union, United Kingdom, and Japan) designated terrorist organization whose horrific actions have caused immeasurable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike.”
On Wednesday, Kraft issued a statement acknowledging Macklemore’s donation request and shared that Sheeran had asked Kraft to match a donation of his own. Kraft did not confirm in the statement if he will match either donation.
“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,” Kraft wrote on social media. “Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.
“In addition, I’d like the people who are speaking in support of the Palestinian people to know that for decades, I have supported efforts that create opportunity for Palestinians,” he continued, “and have brought young Palestinians and Israelis together to build businesses, create jobs, and forge relationships.”
Following Macklemore’s ouster, a wave of artists opening for Sheeran quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore and the Palestinian people. Among them were the Irish folk band Beoga, who have performed a handful of songs with Sheeran each night in the middle of his set. “As musicians, playing to those crowds every night is the stuff of dreams,” Beoga wrote on social media, “but to play in venues that silence anyone advocating for a Free Palestine is simply not an option for us.”
The six organizations Macklemore pledged his donations to are the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, UNRWA USA National Committee and American Near East Refugee Aid.
“Writing a check for me is one of the least costly forms of solidarity available to me,” Macklemore wrote. “I am doing it because I can, and because these organizations are doing the work while much of the world debates it. But aid alone cannot address the conditions that make it necessary. This is a manmade injustice, and I believe it requires immediate political change. Palestinians have lived for decades without basic rights and should not have to live another day to be free. That is where my focus will remain.”
@Northwest The 40-Minute Phone Call That Left Ed Sheeran’s Tour Hanging by a Thread
Patriots owner Robert Kraft made it clear to the singer that he would cancel his tour dates at Gillette Stadium unless Macklemore was dropped from the bill. Other NFL owners were ready to do the same.
@AdmiralPrune yes the venue owners plus several pro-Israel groups pressured the promoters to drop Macklemore, but Sheeran could have simply shown solidarity with his friend by saying something like “if you won’t allow us to play at your venue with Macklemore, we’ll find somewhere that will”
He could make it happen, he chose to stay out of it. And as I’ve said, you can’t stay neutral in something like this.
