Charlotte Church hit out at Ed Sheeran during her End Times Pop Dungeon performance in Cardiff on Sunday, labelling the pop megastar a greedy capitalist over his handling of the Macklemore row.
The 40-year-old Welsh singer, who has positioned herself as a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause, used the gig to accuse Mr Sheeran of prioritising profit over principle in the escalating dispute surrounding his US Loop tour.
Ms Church also issued a pointed warning that Mr Sheeran’s critics were keeping a close eye on him as the Israel-Palestine controversy continues to engulf his American dates.
The Cardiff audience, which included fans under 18, was encouraged by Ms Church to join in chanting “Free Palestine”, the latest flashpoint in a bitter saga has seen multiple artists abandon Mr Sheeran’s tour in recent weeks.
Charlotte Church has launched a blistering attack on Ed Sheeran amid the ongoing Palestine row
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During her onstage tirade, Ms Church told the crowd: “Whilst he has made millions and has an enormous following, he has an enormous platform to do real good in the world. He chose consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing.”
She went further, declaring: “So we say the same thing to Ed Sheeran because f*** the fact [he says] that musicians shouldn’t be involved in politics. F*** that s***. Politics is life.”
The former child classical star then repeated the phrase “Ed Sheeran, we’re watching you” alongside her band at least four times before steering the crowd into “Free Palestine” chants.
Ms Church has a well-documented history of pro-Palestine activism.
Ed Sheeran has faced mounting criticism following Macklemore’s removal from his US Loop tour
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GETTYIn February 2024, she fronted a 100-strong choir including children performing “From The River To The Sea”, which is a chant widely condemned as anti-Semitic and interpreted as calling for Israel’s destruction.
She subsequently declared she would sing it “again 100 times” while denying any anti-Semitism.
Last year, she campaigned against the proscription of Palestine Action, describing the ban as “a major assault on our freedoms.”
The group remains a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.
The Welsh singer repeatedly declared ‘Ed Sheeran, we’re watching you’ during her Cardiff performance
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Separately, Great British Bake Off star Nadiya Hussain shared a video with her one million Instagram followers that accused Mr Sheeran of shedding “white tears” and casting himself as the victim following his emotional Philadelphia performance.
The clip, which Ms Hussain posted without adding personal commentary, featured British therapist Megan Cooper explaining the concept.
Ms Cooper stated: “White tears [are] a cultural tactic using emotion, consciously or unconsciously, to deflect accountability, to gain sympathy, and to centre self in conflict and challenge, particularly during discussions around racism and oppression.”
The therapist argued in Mr Sheeran’s case, “not only does emotion meet whiteness, but it also meets patriarchy. So what we have [are] not just tears; it’s power.”
Mr Sheeran’s Saturday night concert at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, his first appearance since Macklemore’s removal, saw him take the stage entirely alone after every support act withdrew in solidarity with the rapper.
The father of two broke down in tears twice during the evening, telling the 50,000-strong crowd: “In these situations, you really find out who your friends are, and it’s been a weird week.”
He described feeling abandoned by those closest to him, saying: “Everyone’s telling me to cancel, and I’m feeling all of my friends and family and people I know abandon me.”
Yet he drew comfort from the audience’s loyalty, adding: “I look at the end of the week and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me.
“People will say what they want, but I am doing this for you. I love you. I love this.”
The A Team singer added: “What happened in Israel at Nova music festival on October 7 was horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain.”
“What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate,” before declaring that his heart had been “broken by the scale of devastation and loss of civilians’ lives, of children’s lives.”
The singer acknowledged he had made errors, stating: “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I’m so, so sorry.”
By the show’s end, he apologised for introducing politics into what was meant to be a family event, recognising that concertgoers with children “didn’t buy a ticket to hear that first bit of the show.”
The controversy erupted after Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, was axed from the Loop tour following pro-Palestine remarks he made at the New Jersey dates earlier this month.
The 43-year-old rapper subsequently claimed Mr Sheeran had spoken to Robert Kraft, the owner of Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, who allegedly refused to allow Macklemore to perform at his venue.
Macklemore wrote that Mr Kraft had “rallied some of the other stadium owners” to deliver an ultimatum: either the rapper goes, or Mr Sheeran loses access to their venues.
Nadiya Hussain also entered the controversy after sharing a video discussing Sheeran’s emotional response
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INSTAGRAM/NADIYA HUSSAIN/HIGHER LOVE WITH MEGANSheeran responded with an Instagram statement insisting the decision to remove Macklemore was taken by his promoter rather than by him personally.
He added that he would never abandon the touring crew, other support acts and musicians who depend on him for their livelihoods.
The fallout from the Macklemore affair has extended well beyond Church and Hussain.
Finneas, the brother of Billie Eilish, withdrew from his scheduled Loop tour appearances, declaring that “artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed”.
Sheeran’s cousin Jethro Sheeran also publicly criticised the singer over his handling of the row
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FACEBOOK/JETHRO SHEERANOpening acts Aaron Rowe and Lukas Graham also pulled out, as did Beoga, the folk band that had been part of Mr Sheeran’s backing lineup for years.
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters attacked Mr Sheeran on social media for failing to oppose the decision publicly.
Furthermore, Mr Sheeran’s own cousin Jethro Sheeran, 44, branded him a “coward” in a Facebook post.
“I’m ashamed of my cousin Ed and what he’s done,” he wrote. “Finally, the world and all his fans see through him. He’s not a good person.”