The Loop Tour fallout keeps growing, and Greta Thunberg has entered.
Greta Thunberg has officially entered thee Ed Sheeran–Macklemore Loop Tour fallout. On Tuesday, she joined the Humanti Project in sharing a pointed Instagram statement after Sheeran publicly responded to Macklemore’s removal from the tour. The message landed on one line: “Ed, there is only one victim here: the Palestinian people.”
If you don’t know, now you know: Macklemore had been scheduled to open eight of Sheeran’s 10 remaining U.S. stadium shows. Reuters reported that Messina Touring Group said venue owners told the promoter they would not allow concerts to proceed with Macklemore in the lineup after his pro-Palestinian remarks at MetLife Stadium earlier this month.
This is where the story gets messier than “Ed fired Macklemore.” Macklemore said Robert Kraft rallied venue owners against him. Kraft, whose group owns Gillette Stadium, publicly defended barring Macklemore there, citing his recent comments and what Kraft described as a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery. Macklemore rejects the allegation that his criticism of Israel is antisemitic. Sheeran, meanwhile, said the promoter and venues made the final call and that he spent the week trying to build a bridge. The Associated Press reported both sides of that dispute.
THE FALLOUT, SOURCED
Follow the Ed Sheeran–Macklemore story at the source
The statement itself, the removal timeline and the opening-act walkout — three stops for the fast-moving story.
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Then the fallout widened. Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Beoga and Lukas Graham all announced they were withdrawing from Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore, according to AP. Some had been scheduled as replacements or support on upcoming dates, turning one removal into a much bigger Loop Tour problem.
Thunberg and Humanti’s post went beyond the tour logistics. It accused Sheeran of trying to “both sides” the conflict, used the terms apartheid and genocide to describe Israel’s conduct, and called for expanding the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Those are the activists’ political characterizations; Israel rejects the genocide accusation. AP has noted that a number of organizations and experts have described Israel’s wartime actions in Gaza as genocide, while Israel vehemently disputes that charge.
So yes, this is no longer just a dropped-opener story. It has become a collision of artist speech, venue power, promoter decisions, solidarity withdrawals and a war that every participant is framing differently. But back to regular broadcasting: here is the Humanti Project post Thunberg shared.
The post arrived after Sheeran’s public explanation, making Thunberg’s response as much about his attempt to separate himself from the decision as it is about Macklemore’s removal.
For the cleanest version of the decision trail: Macklemore says venue pressure pushed him off the remaining dates; Kraft defended the decision to keep him off the Gillette Stadium shows; Messina Touring Group said multiple venue owners would not proceed with Macklemore on the bill; and Sheeran says the promoter and venues — not him — made the final decision.
And the story is still moving. By Tuesday, four other support acts had withdrawn, while Thunberg and Humanti had shifted the argument from who made the booking decision to what artists and venues should do when the war in Gaza enters the concert business.
Greta Thunberg’s August 2026 NOOW Exclusive
Noow Media published this Tadhg Hickey-led Greta Thunberg exclusive on August 9, 2026.
Sources: Humanti Project; Reuters; Associated Press; AFP; Wikimedia Commons; and Noow Media.
