Charlotte Church has criticised Ed Sheeran over the removal of rapper Macklemore from his US tour, accusing the singer of choosing "consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing".
The Welsh singer made the comments during her Pop Dungeon performance at the Depot in Cardiff on Sunday, where she also urged the audience to chant "Free Palestine".
Church, who has previously taken part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and spoken publicly about the conflict in Gaza, was responding to the controversy surrounding Macklemore's removal from Sheeran's Loop tour after the rapper made pro-Palestinian remarks during a performance in New Jersey.
Church's criticism of Sheeran
"Whilst he [Sheeran] has made millions and has an enormous following, he has an enormous platform to do real good in the world - he chose consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing," Church told the Cardiff audience.
The BBC reported how Church also rejected the argument that musicians should stay out of politics. "Politics is life," she said, before adding: "Ed Sheeran, we're watching you."
Church's comments came after Sheeran defended his position over Macklemore's departure, saying that the decision had ultimately been made by the tour's promoter rather than by him.
Macklemore's removal from the tour
Macklemore appeared as the opening act at Sheeran's concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4. It was during his performance, where the rapper spoke in support of Palestinians and told the audience that one of the reasons he wanted to perform on the tour was to use stadium stages to say "Free Palestine".
He also performed Hind's Hall, his protest song addressing the war in Gaza and the treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters, before going on to describe the deaths and suffering in Gaza as a genocide, a description rejected by Israel.
The performances prompted a widespread backlash, with the Israeli American Council launching a petition calling for Macklemore to be removed from the tour, while campaign group StopAntisemitism accused him of using the concert to promote propaganda.
Robert Kraft, the Jewish owner of Gillette Stadium and a prominent supporter of Israel, also objected to Macklemore's appearance. Kraft said the rapper's comments amounted to hate speech and antisemitic rhetoric, while also saying that too many lives had been lost on both sides of the conflict.
Sheeran's response
As a result, Macklemore was removed from the tour - however Sheeran claimed that the decision was not down to him. In a statement addressing the controversy, Sheeran said he was "appalled" by the conflict between Israel and Palestine and described the suffering caused by the war as a "human tragedy".
He said he had spoken with venues, promoters and people on different sides of the debate in an attempt to find a solution. According to Sheeran, venues hosting forthcoming shows had communicated that they would cancel the concerts if Macklemore remained on the bill.
"Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine," Sheeran said, adding that Macklemore's contract was with the promoter rather than with him.
Sheeran also said he did not want to abandon fans who had made plans to attend the concerts or the touring musicians and crew members who depended on the shows for their livelihoods.
The singer defended his longstanding decision not to use his professional platform for political campaigning, saying his concerts were intended to be spaces of "unity, joy, escapism, love" and somewhere everyone could feel welcome.
He added that choosing not to speak publicly about his personal views on the conflict did not mean that he did not have them or did not care.
"I respect Macklemore's strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes," Sheeran said. "However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace."
Sheeran has been contacted by the BBC for comment on Church's remarks.
