LONDON: Singer Ed Sheeran has denied having any part in the decision to remove Macklemore as the support act from his Loop Tour following the US rapper’s on-stage pro-Palestinian remarks, and said venues had threatened to cancel shows if he remained in the lineup.

The British singer also defended his own silence on the war in Gaza, after Macklemore’s removal sparked a widespread backlash on social media.

“I am not complicit,” Sheeran wrote in a message posted on Instagram on Tuesday. “I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. 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.”

Macklemore, real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, was supporting Sheeran on the American leg of his tour. During a concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey last week, the rapper said he wanted people in Gaza and the occupied West Bank to understand that they were not forgotten.

His remarks prompted a petition demanding his removal from the remainder of the tour. Sheeran and his team subsequently made the decision to remove him, Macklemore said in a message posted on Instagram on Monday.

Giving his account of the dispute, Sheeran said he had spent a week in talks with venues and promoters to try to keep Macklemore on the tour, but they ultimately decided the rapper could not remain in the lineup.

“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran wrote. “Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”

The British singer said venue owners had objected to the way in which Macklemore delivered part of his message during the New Jersey performance, “rather than on everything that was said.”

He added: “I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living.”

Sheeran said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” while defending his choice to keep politics out of his professional platforms.

“I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes,” he wrote. “However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace.

“I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”

A number of artists and other public figures around the world voiced support for Macklemore amid the controversy.

Irish rap duo Kneecap, who also faced repercussions for expressing pro-Palestinian views on stage, were among the first to respond.

“Free Palestine. They can never silence the truth,” the band posted under Macklemore’s announcement of his axing.

British singer Paloma Faith wrote: “You are a rare and important voice … thank you for existing … this is so articulate and so powerful. You are a hero xxx.”

Irish singer CMAT posted images of the Palestinian flag alongside the message: “Free Palestine.”

UK punk duo Bob Vylan, another band who have been outspoken in their support for Palestine, said: “There is no thanks for a duty.”

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg wrote: “Full solidarity and free Palestine. Artists’ very active silence in the face of injustice and genocide will not be forgotten.”

Pop star Zara Larsson, also Swedish, posted heart emojis under Macklemore’s post, as did the stand-up comedian and star of the HBO Max series “Hacks,” Hannah Einbinder.

American rock band Garbage described the removal of Macklemore from Sheeran’s tour as “sheer madness.” In a message under the rapper’s post they wrote: “This is so wildly unjust. Can I remind everyone that nothing Macklemore actually said was violent or hateful or remotely radical.

“Those who exile, silence and censor others are never the good guys. No matter what you tell yourself. Just because you ignore the truth doesn’t make the truth go away or make it any less potent. It is all so utterly obscene.”

American singer Kehlani said: “A lot of the venues/owners are rallied together this way. Honored to know you brother. Adore you. Behind you.”

In his lengthy statement on Instagram about being dropped from the tour, Macklemore said he should not be viewed as a “victim” in this situation.

He wrote: “The victims are the Palestinian people. The men, women and children who have been killed, starved, displaced and forced to live through unimaginable violence.

“More than 20,000 children have been killed in Gaza alone. People are being killed today, and people will be killed tomorrow. I want to make sure that as I tell this story, we don’t lose sight of that.”