The Pogues star Shane MacGowan’s widow has weighed in on the Ed Sheeran debate, urging him that it is never “too late” to take action.
Singer Mr Sheeran has faced a colossal backlash after removing Macklemore from his tour after coming under pressure to do so due to the rapper’s pro-Palestine stance and on-stage political speeches.
Since the removal of the US artist, all of Mr Sheeran’s supporting artists have pulled out of the Loop Tour, and he has faced an intense public show of fury online.
Now, Mr Macgowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, has taken to X to question Mr Sheeran’s move.
Macklemore and Ed Sheeran had been friends for more than a decade
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GETTYMs Clarke, 60, penned: “I think it’s absolutely f***ing brilliant that all of the band and support acts have pulled out.
“I really hope that @edsheeran sees that this is a hugely courageous decision on their parts and I hope he decides to make a stand for Palestine and pulls out of the stadiums who are trying to censor artists.
“Maybe he will? I don’t think it’s ever too late.”
The X message came in response to a post by singer Billie Eilish, whose brother Finneas was among those to pull out of Mr Sheeran’s tour.
Victoria Mary Clarke urged Ed Sheeran to cancel his tour
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X – VICTORIAMARY
She had written on Instagram that she is “very proud” of her brother for refusing to stay silent.
“Very proud of my brother Finneas and other artists that took this step,” she began.
The brief statement ended: “We must not be silent, and we must speak up for the oppressed.”
Mr Sheeran, 35, removed Macklemore, 43, from his Loop Tour following pressure from Robert Kraft, the billionaire New England Patriots owner who owns Gillette Stadium.
Ed Sheeran is now facing a tour without any support acts | GETTY
The controversy came as Macklemore voiced support for Gaza, chanting “Free Palestine,” during a recent performance.
According to Macklemore, Mr Kraft contacted Mr Sheeran directly and told him that the rapper would be barred from appearing at Gillette Stadium, which Mr Kraft owns.
“Ed also told me that Kraft had rallied some of the other stadium owners and collectively they gave him an ultimatum: if Macklemore stays on the tour, you will not be allowed to play in our venues,” Macklemore wrote on social media earlier this week.
Tour promoter Messina Touring Group confirmed on Monday that the rapper had been dropped, citing the threat of cancellations that would “impact hundreds of thousands of fans.”
A statement shared by Mr Sheeran did little to sway public opinion on the situation.
However, on Thursday, it emerged that the singer phoned New England Patriots owner Mr Kraft to request that he commit $2m (£1.5m) to match the British singer’s own donation towards humanitarian relief efforts.
In a statement released through the Gillette Stadium social media channels on Wednesday, the billionaire said this conversation took place prior to pro-Palestine rapper Macklemore publicly challenging him to match a separate pledge.
“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,” Mr Kraft wrote.
However, the 85-year-old stadium owner did not explicitly confirm whether he had agreed to the contribution, nor did he specify where the funds would be directed.