Roger Waters has launched a blistering personal attack on Ed Sheeran as the pop star’s Loop Tour continues to face a crisis following Macklemore’s removal for expressing solidarity with Palestine onstage.
The Pink Floyd co-founder, who’s been an outspoken pro-Palestinian activist for decades, posted a video message on X on Tuesday evening addressing the saga.
Mr Waters’ video kicked off with the caption “Ed Who”, before he appeared on-screen to hit out at the Lego House hitmaker.
“Hey, it’s Tuesday night. This is a little message for Ed Sheeran,” Mr Waters began before he manipulated the camera to show a series of portraits behind him.
Ed Sheeran has addressed Macklemore’s departure
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GETTYHe went on: “See that lady on the left there? That’s Bisan Owda, a friend of mine. Actually, that’s a drawing of me by Daniel Fuchs, another friend of mine. That? Oh, look, just in there, that’s Francesca Albanese, another friend of mine. And this is an anonymous Gazan woman.
“Anyway, Ed, never mind all that. I just have a little message for you.
“There are two kinds of people in this world, okay? There’s people who do the right thing. That rapper Macklemore would be one of those people.
“And there’s people, many of them sadly, little… Excuse me, I nearly used the F-word then, p***ks, like you, who do the wrong thing.”
Macklemore and Ed Sheeran had been friends for over a decade
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GETTYThe controversy surrounding Mr Sheeran’s tour erupted after Macklemore used his opening slot at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last week to voice support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, telling the audience they had not been forgotten.
He also screened footage of destruction in Gaza and performed Hind’s Hall, his track inspired by Columbia University protesters who renamed a campus building after Hind Rajab, a child killed in Gaza.
A petition subsequently demanded his removal from the remaining tour dates. On Monday, Macklemore confirmed on Instagram that “Ed Sheeran and his team have made the decision to remove me from the Loop Tour.”
Mr Sheeran disputed that account on Tuesday, insisting the call belonged to the promoter and venues.
Roger Waters is no stranger to wading into Palestinian debates
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He wrote that tour venues had threatened to cancel shows if Macklemore remained, naming Robert Kraft, owner of Gillette Stadium, among those who took that position. Mr Kraft’s own statement branded Macklemore’s remarks “hate speech.”
Within hours of Mr Sheeran’s statement, every remaining support act walked away. Dublin singer-songwriter Aaron Rowe, Danish pop act Lukas Graham, and Finneas, who had been due to join the tour for South American dates in November, each announced their withdrawal on social media.
“I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children,” Mr Rowe wrote on Instagram. “I would lose all respect for myself to carry on as normal.”
Finneas echoed: “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I stand with Palestine and its people.”
Meanwhile, Mr Sheeran’s own backing band, Irish folk group Beoga, cited “the silencing of Macklemore by Zionist lobbies” as their reason for leaving.
Mr Sheeran defended his decision to keep his political views private, stating: “I am not complicit. 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.”
He said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine” and respected Macklemore “as an artist,” but maintained his concerts were not the appropriate venue for political expression.
“My audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds,” he wrote. “Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum.”
The singer said he had spent the week attempting to reach a compromise but had been unable to find one. He argued there was “room for multiple approaches to the same end, peace,” and that focusing solely on “shouting the loudest” would never bring change.
Mr Waters’s rant against Sheeran is consistent with nearly two decades of outspoken advocacy for Palestinian liberation, a stance that he claims has cost him dearly in both financial and professional terms.
The former Pink Floyd frontman has previously described losing venue contracts, corporate sponsorships, and publishing deals as a direct consequence of his position, while facing persistent accusations of antisemitism.
He has continually attempted to distinguish between criticism of Israel and its government and that of Jewish people.