Muslim civil rights and advocacy group says any govt-owned stadiums involved in pressure campaign led by Robert Kraft may have violated First Amendment
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the American sports stadiums that reportedly demanded musician Ed Sheeran exclude Macklemore from his U.S. tour due to the rapper’s support for Palestinian freedom and opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
CAIR said that any publicly owned stadiums involved in the pressure campaign may have violated the First Amendment and that Mr. Sheeran should either consider legal action or choose new tour locations rather than succumb to reported pressure from stadium owner Robert Kraft and other supporters of Israel’s genocide.
SEE: Macklemore Removed From Ed Sheeran Tour After ‘Free Palestine’ Statement
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“Privately owned sports stadiums should never threaten to ban musicians because they dare to oppose a genocide, and publicly owned stadiums entities cannot engage in such censorship without violating the First Amendment.
“We strongly condemn Robert Kraft, a longtime supporter of the Israeli apartheid government, and other stadium owners for reportedly pressuring Ed Sheeran to drop Macklemore from his U.S. tour over his support for the Palestinian people and opposition to the Gaza genocide.
“We call on Mr. Sheeran and the tour promoters to reverse course. They should pursue legal options or reschedule his tour rather than give in to bullying by billionaires who care about free speech as much as they care about slaughtered Palestinian children.
“We call on stadiums hosting Mr. Sheeran’s tour that are owned by a governmental entity to publicly clarify whether they joined on this threat to cancel Mr. Sheeran’s tour in violation of the First Amendment.
“Macklemore is being targeted for criticizing the genocidal mass murder of the Palestinian people and calling for the liberation of Palestine, stances applauded by prior audiences.
“Macklemore is taking a courageous and moral stand and Mr. Sheeran should bravely stand with him. The companies responsible for this attack on free speech for the benefit of a foreign government must be held accountable.”
Rolling Stone reported that:
“Macklemore was slated to appear at eight of the 10 shows left on the U.S. leg of Sheeran’s tour, which is set to resume… Sept. 19, in Philadelphia. The venues that allegedly objected to the rapper include: Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis; Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina; AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
“Most of the stadiums that allegedly would not allow a Macklemore show did not immediately return requests for comments either, including for explanations as to why they objected to the rapper performing at their venue. While two of those stadiums are privately owned — Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough — the rest are owned and, in many cases, operated by cities, states, or other government entities, potentially raising First Amendment issues if the venues barred Macklemore over his statements.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]