Greta Thunberg has added her voice to the ongoing controversy surrounding the singer Ed Sheeran, following his decision to drop Macklemore as his tour’s opening act.
In an Instagram video shared on Monday morning, the Swedish activist voiced her belief that the Lego House star “should be held accountable” after bowing to pressure to remove Macklemore as his tour’s opening act, in light of comments the rapper had made on stage in support of Palestine amid the conflict in the Middle East.
“Yes, Ed Sheeran should be held accountable for his lack of spine,” Greta told her followers. “But remember that we have to continuously apply the same pressure on all those complicit in all genocides.
“The bigger your platform and your access to resources, the bigger your responsibility. But also, [we should apply this to] ourselves and the institutions that we are part of, where we have to push for boycotts, sanctions and divestments. If we, ourselves, are not stepping out of our comfort zones, we are not doing enough.”
“Remember, silence is complicity, and you cannot be neutral in a genocide,” she concluded.
In her post’s caption, Greta insisted: “This is not about Ed Sheeran, it is about the people dying on the ground, holding those complicit accountable and applying that pressure on everyone responsible.”
Ed previously denied being “complicit” in a statement posted after Macklemore alleged that the singer had removed him from his tour as his presence would go against the British performer’s “I don’t take sides” belief system.
Macklemore had also claimed Ed had told him that stadium owners had said both artists wouldn’t be allowed to perform in their stadiums if the US star stayed on.
“I have my personal views on this devastating conflict,” Ed then wrote on Instagram. “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. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way.”
Following this statement, the rest of Ed’s opening acts pulled out of the tour, as did his backing band, with the Grammy winner resuming the US leg of his world jaunt over the weekend.