Ed Sheeran struggles against Gaza tide

Ed Sheeran faces boycott calls and desertions, leaving the British singer with a career crisis that underlines how even the world's biggest stars are being sucked into the politics of the war in Gaza.

Ahead of his next scheduled concert on Saturday, the "Shape of You" pop icon has spent a week scrambling to save his Loop Tour and his public image as criticism rained down from peers and social media users.

The 35-year-old's problems began with rapper friend Macklemore, who spoke in favour of Palestinian rights and "free Palestine" while serving as a warm-up act for Sheeran at concerts in the New Jersey MetLife stadium on September 4 and 5.

When Macklemore was dropped from subsequent concerts -- under pressure from US stadium owners, including billionaire Robert Kraft -- Sheeran came under fire.

He was accused by critics of a range of sins: failing to defend a friend and free speech, lacking courage to speak about Gaza, and prioritising cash over principles.

"Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed," singer Finneas, brother of Billie Eilish, wrote on social media as he and three other support acts walked out on Sheeran on Tuesday.

"If I was Ed, I'd swallow my pride and cancel the tour," veteran British singer-songwriter Billy Bragg advised.

Palestinian group PACBI, which campaigns for a cultural boycott of Israel, urged Sheeran to reinstate Macklemore. "Until then, we call on opening artists, audiences and where possible crew to boycott the complicit tour," it added.

"What's a shame is that he (Sheeran) is somebody who is powerful enough and has a big enough status that he could have actually put his foot down," Neil March, a music writer who teaches at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) in London, told AFP.

- Gaza activism -

Since Israel invaded Gaza in October 2023 following the worst attack on the country in its history by militant group Hamas, the toll on Palestinians and the wider issue of Palestinian rights have slowly emerged as a rallying cry in the entertainment industry.

From the Oscars to the Emmys, top music awards ceremonies and European film festivals, the Gaza war has frequently pushed its way on to the agenda as more and more figures speak out and encourage others to follow suit.

"Palestine is much more at the forefront than it has ever been," Julie Norman, a professor and expert on the Israel-Palestine conflict at University College London (UCL), told AFP.

"I think the way the world witnessed the war, what many saw as a genocide playing out in Gaza on social media, has galvanised a new generation around this issue in a very different way than ever before," said Norman, an associate fellow with the Middle East Programme at Chatham House.

"I think for young people in particular, whether in the US, the UK, in Europe, all over the world, this is one of the most salient issues for them," she added.

- No politics? -

Sheeran made his name as a family-friendly former busker whose down-to-earth style and catchy lyrics have made him one of the most-streamed artists of his generation.

He claimed in his statement this week that he does "not use my professional platform for politics". But he performed at a pro-Ukraine concert after Russia's invasion in 2022 and signed an open letter warning about Brexit in 2018.

He has backed anti-poverty initiative Comic Relief in Britain and told The Sunday Times newspaper in 2017 that he "loved" then leftist leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn -- who later became embroiled in a row about anti-Semitism.

"Music's never been politically neutral... it's an excuse, and I don't think anybody is really buying it," March told AFP.

Gretchen Larsen, a professor who studies the music business at Durham University Business School in Britain, told AFP that Sheeran's most committed fans were unlikely to abandon him, but more casual listeners might feel alienated.

"To some extent, his response isn't a neutral response because he's allowed those 'powers' to silence certain artists and he's gone along with that, so his initial response is a political position," she said.

"Clearly there's some real discomfort about how this whole situation is being managed," she added.