AOC Accuses Robert Kraft of Orchestrating Stadium Restrictions on Macklemore’s Gaza Remarks

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft after Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour following onstage remarks in support of Palestinians during Israel’s war in Gaza.

“It’s not just what has happened with the act and not just in removing Macklemore from the lineup, but when you see what Robert Kraft did to line up all of the stadiums to censor speech in that one specific way, it’s become clear that this is not just about one music artist or two music artists, but this is about how just a handful of stadium owners and the elite can prevent an entire massive issue, in this case, the genocide in Gaza,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a clip shared by Fox News.

In another clip posted by TMZ, Ocasio-Cortez was asked whether Sheeran bore responsibility. She said everyone had a role to play but argued that attention should remain on Kraft and “the actual people who are twisting things here.” She added that the incident set a dangerous precedent.

The controversy surrounding Macklemore’s role as an opening act on Sheeran’s Loop Tour began after the Seattle artist joined the tour in early September for two shows at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. At the first performance, Macklemore shouted “Free Palestine,” voiced solidarity with people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, displayed images of the devastation caused by the war in Gaza, and performed his protest song “Hind’s Hall,” which concerns pro-Palestine demonstrators at Columbia University.

The backlash was swift. Pro-Israel groups condemned Macklemore, while the Israeli American Council launched a petition calling on Sheeran to remove him from the remainder of the tour.

On Monday, Macklemore said he was dropped after Sheeran was pressured by Kraft ahead of the singer’s upcoming show at Massachusetts’s Gillette Stadium, which is owned by the Kraft Group. “Ed told me that Kraft said I would not be allowed to perform in his stadium,” Macklemore wrote. “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.”

In a separate statement, Kraft confirmed that he had decided to bar Macklemore from performing at Gillette Stadium. He cited “material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.” Kraft did not address Macklemore’s claim that he had also encouraged other stadium owners to join the pressure campaign.

After Macklemore’s removal from Sheeran’s tour was announced, all of the singer’s supporting artists withdrew from the tour, including Finneas, Lukas Graham and Aaron Rowe. “It’s hard to watch families in other parts of the world burying the people they love. We should be able to speak about war, about civilians being killed, about children who deserve to grow up. Wherever they live. Whatever flag flies over them,” Graham wrote in a statement shared on Instagram. “Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”

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