A petition was launched by the Israeli-American Council against Macklemore to have him removed from Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour in the U.S., after a “Free Palestine” plea on stage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Friday, September 4, and Saturday, September 5.

While performing onstage, Macklemore gave a political speech mentioning Gaza and the West Bank, pleading to free Palestine, Cuba, Iran, Congo and Sudan. He mentioned that all people deserve freedom and equality, acknowledging that those who are being terrorized by ICE in the United States should also be freed. After the speech, Macklemore played his pro-Palestine track “Hind’s Hall,” accompanied by Gaza footage during the performance.

After Macklemore’s performance, the Israeli-American Council created and sent a petition to Ed Sheeran’s management to remove Macklemore from Sheeran’s “Loop” tour. According to NME, the IAC said it viewed Macklemore’s speeches as a misuse of a global platform to push a one-sided political agenda.