Sting expresses strong opinion over Ed Sheeran controversy

Sting has said Ed Sheeran is in “a difficult dilemma” amid the continued controversy over Macklemore’s removal from his tour.

Earlier this month, Macklemore announced he had been fired from the British singer-songwriter’s Loop tour over his pro-Palestine comments at an earlier gig.

Macklemore claimed that Robert Kraft, the CEO of Kraft Group who owns Gillette Stadium, personally called Sheeran to say he would not be allowed to perform at the venue, while Sheeran later responded by stating he would not be drawn into a public debate about the Gaza war and that it was “the promoter’s decision” to remove Macklemore.

The fallout continued when Sheeran’s other opening acts withdrew, while protesters gathered outside his first concert without Macklemore which was held last week.

During an appearance on Sky News and introduced as an artist who has “never shied away from talking about politics”, Sting was asked whether there is a fine line between censorship and a venue exercising its right to stop shows.

“There’s a very, very obvious distinction between hate speech – with everyone abhors – and legitimate political criticism,” Sting replied. “The latter is something [that is] one of our rights as a democracy. In a functioning democracy, you have to be able to take political criticism in a public forum. That is part of the deal.”

The Shape of My Heart singer was also asked if he “feels” for Sheeran amid the ongoing saga, to which Sting admitted, “It’s a difficult dilemma that he’s in.”

Sting has been involved in social and political causes for decades, using his platform to raise awareness for global famine and deforestation, and famously sang on Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? in 1984.

In recent years he has campaigned for drug decriminalisation, and, in 2018, for a second vote on Brexit. In 2011, he cancelled a concert in Astana, Kazakhstan after being informed by Amnesty International of concerns over the rights of Kazakh oil and gas workers and their families.

Meanwhile, as Ed Sheeran returned to the live stage on September 19, he declared, “I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes. I’m so, so sorry. I don’t want to disappoint fans. I cannot hide how I feel about it anymore.”