Aaron Rowe, who had been one of the opening acts on Ed Sheeran's tour before withdrawing following Macklemore's removal over his support for Palestine, has now come to Sheeran's defense. In a video posted to his Instagram account Friday, Rowe argued the outrage aimed at Sheeran was misdirected.
"I think you are all focusing on the wrong person here. All I keep hearing is Ed Sheeran this, Ed Sheeran that. When you really should be focusing on the likes of Robert Kraft. You really should be focusing on the Zionist lobbies that are trying to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide, the genocide that is happening in Palestine right now by Israel," Rowe said.
Still, Rowe acknowledged Sheeran's handling of the situation fell short. "Look, I know Ed's statement could have been a lot better, and I do think that Macklemore shouldn't have been pulled off the tour. I fully believe it was panic station over there, and they rushed the decision because they didn't know what to fucking do because they were getting it from all angles. That's a mistake… I haven't had a chance to fucking talk to Ed too much, but I fully believe he knows that was a mistake."
Rowe pointed to the makeup of Sheeran's opening lineup as evidence against accusations aimed at the singer, naming Beoga, which he called "the most pro-Palestine group out there," along with Macklemore. "Me, everyone knows my fucking stance on Palestine. Like, if Ed Sheeran was a fucking Zionist, why would he have all these fucking people on the fucking tour? It was human fucking error," he said.
Sheeran has faced continued backlash over Macklemore's removal from the tour. Besides Rowe, fellow opener Finneas also exited the tour. When Rowe first stepped away, he noted that Sheeran had "changed my life," a sentiment he repeated in the new video, adding, "I know Ed Sheeran has done so much for so many fucking people, including artists like me, who he's literally changed their entire lives. All he has inside of him is kindness. That is who Ed Sheeran is. And yes, like every other human being, he makes fucking mistakes."
Rowe closed by redirecting attention toward Robert Kraft. "You should be using this opportunity to plaster Robert Kraft's face everywhere. Someone who tried to shut down free speech. Someone who tried to silence the voices of people who are shouting about genocide. That's what you should be using your energy on, not fucking Ed Sheeran, for fuck's sake."
