Greta Thunberg leads an attack against Ed Sheeran: 'You chose the wrong side'

Anti-Israel activist Greta Thunberg has spent the past 24 hours leading an unprecedented online campaign against British singer Ed Sheeran, whose Instagram account has been flooded with thousands of hostile comments and calls to “Free Palestine.”

After Thunberg posted the slogan in Sheeran’s comments section, a wave of pro-Palestinian activists descended on the singer’s profile.

Sheeran disabled comments on a post in which he clarified that the decision to remove rapper Macklemore from the tour had been made solely by the producers. In response, critics turned to older posts dating back to early 2025, flooding them with accusations such as, “You chose the wrong side by not choosing a side,” and branding the singer a “sellout.” According to several reports, Sheeran has also lost hundreds of thousands of followers.

The fierce backlash illustrates the price Sheeran is now paying for choosing to collaborate with Macklemore—a musician whose recent publicity has largely centered on his outspoken pro-Palestinian activism.

Once Sheeran invited such a polarizing figure onto the stage, it was perhaps only a matter of time before the controversy engulfed him as well. Neither his neutral stance nor his attempt to defuse the situation appears to have satisfied the increasingly hostile crowd of commenters.

Sheeran’s troubles began after Macklemore shouted “Free Palestine” during a performance in New Jersey. The incident sparked outrage among the venue’s owners, including billionaire Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, and ultimately led to Macklemore’s removal from the tour.

Kraft justified the decision by pointing to Macklemore’s recent statements, as well as what he described as “a broader history of rhetoric and antisemitic imagery, which we believe have been offensive and deeply hurtful to the Jewish community.”

Sheeran attempted to distance himself from the decision on Tuesday, explaining: “The decision to end Macklemore’s participation in the tour was made by the producers; it was not my decision.”

“I am not involved in this matter,” he added. “People who come to my shows do not expect a political platform.”

Sheeran’s statement failed to calm the controversy, and his tour of North and South America has since been thrown into turmoil. Four supporting acts announced, one after another, that they were withdrawing from the tour in protest.

Among them was musician Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother, who wrote: “Artists should not be silenced when they raise their voices for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.”

Finneas was joined by the Danish band Lukas Graham and the Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Bogha, all of whom withdrew from the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.