U.S. rapper Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, has announced a benefit tour aimed at raising funds for humanitarian causes in Palestine. The "free Palestine" tour is set to begin in Dublin on October 26, followed by performances in Paris on October 29 and London on October 30, with additional North American dates planned but not yet disclosed.

The announcement follows Macklemore’s removal from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. stadium tour after he publicly called for a “free Palestine” during a concert on September 4. The remarks led to pushback from venue owners, including billionaire Robert Kraft, who stated they would no longer host events featuring Macklemore.

Ed Sheeran issued a written statement distancing himself from the decision to remove Macklemore, saying, “I am not complicit.” Afterward, all remaining support acts for Sheeran’s tour withdrew. When Sheeran resumed performing in Philadelphia on September 19, he read an apology from a teleprompter acknowledging “making mistakes” amid the controversy.

The incident also drew protests outside Sheeran’s Philadelphia venue and reportedly resulted in a significant loss of social media followers for the artist, with estimates suggesting a drop of nearly 500,000 Instagram followers.

Macklemore’s benefit tour aims to spotlight the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, though details regarding the artists who will join him have not been released. The tour’s launch in Europe highlights a growing trend among performers using their platforms to engage with geopolitical issues.