All support acts on Ed Sheeran's US tour quit after Macklemore dropped

All of the remaining support acts on Ed Sheeran's US tour have quit, after the rapper Macklemore was dropped from the line-up for making pro-Palestinian remarks on stage.

Among them were Finneas, the brother of pop star Billie Eilish, who said in a statement: "Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed."

Irish singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham also announced their departure. Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Sheeran on stage every night, dropped out too.

The announcements came hours after Sheeran said he would not be drawn into a public debate over Gaza, and stressed he was not responsible for Macklemore being removed from the tour.

"Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine," Sheeran said on Instagram.

"I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living."

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

His comments drew criticism from Jewish groups, after which some venues put pressure on the tour promoters to drop him from the tour.

In his statement, external, Sheeran said he had spoken with the venues "at length all week to try and build a bridge" - but the promoters, Messina Touring Group, had ultimately pulled the plug.

While the star said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine" and that the "suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy", he also attempted to explain his decision to keep political issues at arm’s length.

"I am not complicit," he wrote. "I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn't mean I don't have them, and it doesn't mean I don't care.

"Nor does it mean I don't support causes in my own, personal way."

He continued: "There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics - my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds.

"Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum. I respect Macklemore's strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes.

"However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: Peace.

"I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed. If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change. There are different approaches to being an advocate for change."

Sheeran added that, “as with all my support acts", Macklemore had been allowed to choose his own setlist.

If the statement was meant to placate his fans and other artists on the line-up, it has seemingly had the opposite effect.

Writing on Instagram, Lukas Graham said: "We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them."

Rowe, who opened on the Australian leg of the tour earlier this year and resumed as a support act for the US in June, said that he did not "take the decision [to quit] lightly," adding: "Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this."

Hind's Hall performance

The controversy began on 4 September, when Macklemore performed at Ed Sheeran's concert at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

He told the audience: "A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine."

He then performed his song Hind's Hall, which is dedicated to pro-Palestinian protestors at Columbia University and condemns Israel's military action in Gaza, while video footage of the devastation in Gaza was shown on the big screen.

Some of the audience cheered - but there was almost immediate criticism online.

The Israeli American Council launched a petition demanding his removal from the tour; while the campaign group StopAntisemitism said the musician had ambushed fans with propaganda - a claim that was amplified by the pop star Pink, who reposted it on Instagram.

The next night, Macklemore returned to the same stage and directly addressed his "Jewish brothers and sisters" in the audience.

"Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you," he said, adding that he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.