James May sparks fury from pro-Palestine activists as he mocks Ed Sheeran tour saga with brutal Macklemore remark

During one of the shows, Macklemore said to the thousands in attendance: “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine.”

He also performed his protest song Hind’s Hall, which condemns Israel’s military action in Gaza. At the same time, video footage of the devastation in Gaza was shown on the big screen.

After the remarks prompted outrage from Jewish groups and petitions were set up to oust him from future dates, Macklemore was dismissed from the tour.

Billionaire venue owner Robert Kraft confirmed that he made the decision to bar Macklemore from opening for Mr Sheeran at Gillette Stadium.

Following Macklemore’s exit, fellow support acts for Mr Sheeran, including Finneas, Aaron Rowe and Danish band Lukas Graham, also announced their departures. Irish folk band Beoga, who perform with Mr Sheeran on stage, decided they too would leave the tour.

The exodus of supporting artists came just hours after Mr Sheeran refused to be drawn into a public debate over Gaza. He also stressed that he was not responsible for Macklemore being removed from the tour.

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“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision; it was not mine,” Mr Sheeran penned in a lengthy statement on Instagram.

“I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

Several famous faces have rallied against Mr Sheeran and sided with Macklemore in the wake of the saga. Greta Thunberg, Vicky Pattison, Kneecap, Bob Vylan, Paloma Faith, Tones And I, and many others praised the rapper on Instagram.

However, Mr May opted for a different approach to the row surrounding Macklemore and Mr Sheeran. On X, the 63-year-old reacted to an image of a controversial costume the rapper performed in back in 2014 that many claimed was antisemitic.

“Who’s this?” the writer Jake Wallis Simons penned alongside an image of Macklemore in the costume. Mr May spotted the chance for a joke: “Macklenomore.”

The response has been viewed over 132k times. Within moments of its publication, Macklemore supporters and pro-Palestine activists condemned Mr May’s mockery.

“Really Mr May? Damn.. Unfollowed,” one X user replied, while a second echoed: “F*****g sucks seeing your childhood hero you grow up watching become a dumb idiot!”

Another added: “Oh James this is the only thing you have to say on the whole Palestinian issue? A costume that was taken out of context from over a decade ago? I have followed you for years and was hoping you’d have at least a bit more nuance on this issue.”

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The complaints kept on coming. “@MrJamesMay you went from my childhood hero, who I thought was exceptionally bright, to now being just another puppet of the Israeli movement… way to go,” a fourth penned.

“Wrong side of history, mate,” a fifth weighed in, before a sixth typed: “Welcome to your own s**t storm, James. Hope you won’t enjoy it. You could have just shut up (like you always do for real problems, like the Palestinian genocide), and yet…”

However, Mr May did receive the support of some who rallied behind the Top Gear star. “More like Macklemoron,” one X user added, while a second commented: “James May is a legend. Bravo sir, bravo.”

GB News has contacted Mr May’s representatives for comment on the fallout.