Ed Sheeran faces boycott calls and desertions, leaving the British singer with a career crisis that underlines how even the world's biggest stars are being sucked into the politics of the genocide in Gaza.
Ahead of his next scheduled concert on Saturday, the "Shape of You" pop icon has spent a week scrambling to save his Loop Tour and his public image as criticism rained down from peers and social media users.
The 35-year-old's problems began with rapper friend Macklemore, who spoke in favour of Palestinian rights and "free Palestine" while serving as a warm-up act for Sheeran at concerts in the New Jersey MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5.
When Macklemore was dropped from subsequent concerts — under pressure from US stadium owners, including billionaire Robert Kraft — Sheeran came under fire.
He was accused by critics of failing to defend a friend and free speech, lacking courage to speak about Gaza, and prioritising cash over principles.
"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," singer Finneas, brother of Billie Eilish, wrote on social media as he and three other support acts walked out on Sheeran on Tuesday.
"If I was Ed, I'd swallow my pride and cancel the tour," veteran British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg advised.
Palestinian group PACBI, which campaigns for a cultural boycott of Israel, urged Sheeran to reinstate Macklemore. "Until then, we call on opening artists, audiences and where possible crew to boycott the complicit tour," it added.
No politics?
Sheeran made his name as a family-friendly former busker whose down-to-earth style and catchy lyrics have made him one of the most-streamed artists of his generation.
He claimed in his statement this week that he does "not use my professional platform for politics". But he performed at a pro-Ukraine concert after the start of the war in 2022 and signed an open letter warning about Brexit in 2018.
He has backed anti-poverty initiative Comic Relief in Britain and told The Sunday Times newspaper in 2017 that he "loved" then leftist leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn — who later became embroiled in a row about anti-Semitism.
"Music's never been politically neutral... it's an excuse, and I don't think anybody is really buying it," music writer Neil March told AFP news agency.
Gretchen Larsen, a professor who studies the music business at Durham University Business School in Britain, told AFP that Sheeran's most committed fans were unlikely to abandon him, but more casual listeners might feel alienated.
"To some extent, his response isn't a neutral response because he's allowed those 'powers' to silence certain artists and he's gone along with that, so his initial response is a political position," she said.
"Clearly there's some real discomfort about how this whole situation is being managed," she added.
Gaza genocide
Israel has killed over 73,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded more than 174,000 others in its genocide in Gaza since October 2023.
Experts contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Israel has reduced most of the blockaded enclave to ruins and displaced the entire population. It continues to occupy 60 percent of Gaza.
A ceasefire took place in October of 2025. Still, Israel has continued to violate it daily, killing at least 1,375 Palestinians and wounding 4,686 others, making it a one-sided truce.
