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Ms. Rachel says she will be donating $1 million US to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), matching the donation pledged by rapper Macklemore after he was ousted from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour over his pro-Palestinian remarks onstage.
The American YouTube star and educator, whose full name is Rachel Accurso, made the pledge in an Instagram post on Thursday, inviting “every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza.”
“Over 20,000 precious Palestinian children have been killed and children continue to be killed every day,” she wrote. “We have a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect children and human rights.”
Accurso, whose YouTube channel boasts more than 21 million subscribers, became a global ambassador for PCRF last September. The children’s entertainer has been a vocal advocate for the protection and rights of children in Gaza, using her platform in recent years to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis there.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, responded to the post by commenting, “Wowwww…. Love you so much.”
The Can’t Hold Us rapper announced on Instagram on Wednesday that he would be donating the entirety of his $1-million net earnings from Sheeran’s tour to six organizations aiding the Palestinian people.
Macklemore was dropped as an opening act from Sheeran’s The Loop tour earlier this week after videos showed him saying “Free Palestine” repeatedly onstage to a cheering crowd and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank at a Sept. 4 concert.
In a speech at the second show on Sept. 5, the Seattle-born Grammy winner addressed Jewish audience members, saying, “criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you.
“My message is for peace — love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect and equality.”
His remarks drew a flurry of criticism from pro-Israel groups and prompted several venues in the U.S. to threaten to cancel the show if the rapper wasn’t removed.
Macklemore later said his removal from the tour was co-ordinated by American billionaire businessman and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
In a statement shared with CBC News on Monday, Kraft, a staunch supporter of Israel, confirmed that he opposed Macklemore performing at Massachusetts’ Gillette Stadium, which he also owns, stating that his stadium would “not provide a platform for hate speech.” He added that Macklemore spread divisiveness through “selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas.”
Following Macklemore’s exit, backlash against Sheeran came fast and furious, with many critics slamming the singer’s apolitical stance. The Shape of You singer shared a lengthy statement on his Instagram on Tuesday, explaining that Macklemore “coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine.”
He added that while he tried to “build a bridge,” the venues remained resolute.
Sheeran wrote that he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” adding that the “suffering and pain caused on both sides is a human tragedy.” But he defended his decision not to take a public stance.
“I have my personal views on this devastating conflict,” he wrote in part. “Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
Hours after Sheeran shared the statement, all of his remaining supporting acts announced they were quitting the tour, including Irish folk band Boega, who also announced they would no longer serve as Sheeran’s backing band for the remaining U.S. tour dates.
It means that the tour now has no openers. Sheeran’s next show is scheduled for Philadelphia on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Kraft announced that both he and Sheeran have each pledged $2 million US toward humanitarian aid in the Gaza region, following a public challenge from Macklemore to match his donation.
In a statement posted to the official Gillette Stadium account on X, Kraft said that Sheeran had contacted him before the public challenge.
“Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid the region to fight this humanitarian crisis,” he wrote. “Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”
