Singer Pink publicly addressed the backlash over her repost criticizing Macklemore’s pro‑Palestinian remarks at Ed Sheeran’s MetLife Stadium shows, issuing a lengthy statement clarifying her views on Israel, Gaza and why she believes her earlier posts were misinterpreted. Her initial repost—a repost from StopAntisemitism that accused Macklemore of spreading “anti‑Israel propaganda” and said Jewish fans were “owed apologies” and refunds—paired with what she calls "snarky memes," ignited accusations of prejudice and calls for boycotts across social platforms. Pink’s explanation comes after a week of online controversy, a petition from the Israeli‑American Council urging Sheeran to remove Macklemore from his U.S. tour, and intensifying debate over how artists navigate the war in Gaza nearly three years after October 7.
Pink said she had “been quiet in my own words for a week,” acknowledging that her repost of criticism about Macklemore’s set “said things in words I didn’t write, and I wouldn’t have chosen all of them.” She admitted she responded to the backlash with memes because “that’s on me…a repost isn’t a statement, and a meme isn’t a spine.” “I was born a Jew. I didn’t pick it, and I’ve never hidden it," she said, and added that people projected beliefs onto her without reading her past statements. She reiterated what she said in October 2023: "Hamas is a terrorist organization.
Palestinians deserve a future that honors their humanity and their aspirations. Protecting innocent life comes first, everywhere, and nobody should ever celebrate the death of a child. Anybody’s child." She also referenced her decade as a UNICEF ambassador, saying she has “grieved every one of them, on both sides of that fence.” Pink stressed she would not “litigate a complex war in an Instagram caption” nor “recite anybody’s slogan to earn back a follower." This is a breaking news story.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Sam Wilson.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
