Singer Pink has broken her silence in a lengthy social media essay, vowing to 'keep speaking out' after facing backlash for reposting criticism of rapper Macklemore's pro-Palestinian speech at an Ed Sheeran concert. In her post, the 47-year-old Grammy winner declared she won't take 'being portrayed as the villain quietly'.
The controversy began last weekend when Macklemore, real name Ben Haggerty, opened for Ed Sheeran's tour in New Jersey and used his set to speak on Israel and Palestine. He later shared a video of the moment with the caption, 'Wanting all humans to be treated equal should never be controversial'.
Pink's Repost and the Petition
Following the speech, Pink, real name Alecia Beth Moore-Hart, reposted text from @Stop_AntiSemitism on her Instagram Story without adding her own comments. The post read: 'Awful – Jewish fans bought tickets to see Ed Sheeran sing last night in NJ, not to be ambushed by Macklemore's anti-Israel propaganda. Instead, Macklemore walked onstage in a keffiyeh, shouted "Free Palestine," accused Israel of a false "genocide," and turned a mainstream event into a political nightmare against the Jewish state. Concert goers are owed apologies and refunds @teddysphotos – this is unacceptable.'
At the same time, the Israeli-American Council launched a petition calling for Sheeran to remove the Hinds Hall musician from the remainder of the tour. Macklemore's lyrics to the 2024 protest tune condemn Israel's military action in Gaza. While Pink did not explicitly respond to the noise surrounding the matter, she did repost several memes and quotes on her page, hinting at her mindset.
Pink's Essay: 'A Repost Isn't a Statement'
Taking to social media this evening, Pink began: 'Last Sunday I reposted somebody else's post about Macklemore's set at Ed Sheeran's show. It said things in words I didn't write, and I wouldn't have chosen all of them. Then the comments came, and I did what I do when I'm hurt, which is post snarky memes and act like I'm fine. That's on me.'
She argued that 'a repost isn't a statement, and a meme isn't a spine', admitting that 'social media makes all of us cheap and fast, and we all know it'. 'But I'd rather be disagreed with for what I actually said than hated for what anybody else wrote, so let me say it.'
She went on: 'I was born a Jew. I didn't pick it, and I've never hidden it. And this week a whole lot of people decided what I believe without asking me, without checking a single thing I've ever said or done, because a repost and the word "Jew" were apparently enough to fill in the rest. But let me fill it in… myself.'
Her 1,000+ word essay then stated that she 'doesn't speak for Israel or for any government'. Referring to comments from 2023, she reiterated her stance that 'Palestinians deserve a future that honours their humanity and their aspirations'.
Macklemore's Speech and Pink's Response
In his speech, Macklemore said: 'One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart: Free Palestine. I want those words to be loud and clear, so the people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten them.'
He also addressed 'all of [his] Jewish brothers and sisters' directly, insisting that his 'criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide in no way is a criticism of you'. Pink, however, noted that 'he stood in front of a stadium full of music-loving families, with violent images from a war on the screens, dedicated a song to the movement of his choice, and then took the mic to tell all of the Jews in the stadium that it wasn't about them. You don't get to decide that for us.'
Having been a UNICEF ambassador for a decade and visited war-stricken countries, Pink said 'protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child'. She also recalled attending the 2014 Grammy Awards when Macklemore performed, cheering to his LGBTQ+ anthem, but noted that four months later, 'Macklemore put on a hooked nose, a black beard and a bowl cut, performed in it, and called it a "random costume".' She added: 'Every Jew I know knew exactly what it was. The same love, it turned out, had a guest list, and we weren't on it.'
Pink added that her feelings on his remarks prompted her reposting activity. 'I have never asked for another artist to be silenced and I'm not asking now. I don't need anyone fired, and I don't need a refund,' she claimed. 'What I need is to be able to say, as a Jewish mom, "that scared me, and it scared people I love," without being told our fear is just propaganda, and without being told I'm somehow cool with genocide because I noticed?'
She concluded: 'I've been portrayed as the villain before. I can take it. I just won't take it quietly, and I'm not going to teach my kids to.' She told those who are 'furious' with her that they 'don't have to agree', calling it an 'unspoken agreement for 25 years'. 'To the ones who are frightened this week, Jewish or Muslim or Palestinian or Israeli or just tired of all of it: I see you. And if anybody wants to really know what I think, just ask me. I'm right here. I've never been hard to find. And I'll keep speaking out, in my own words.'
Earlier this week, Macklemore said that the speech he gave on stage was not intended as an attack on the Jewish community after being criticised in the petition for 'using the stage to deliver an extended political message', performing Hinds Hall while Gaza images were displayed. The council said the concert was 'not a political rally, not a protest, and not an activist event'. Sheeran himself did not publicly address the calls for his tour opener to be dropped. Reps for Macklemore have been contacted for comment.
