Two professional sports teams have distanced themselves from rapper Macklemore after he told the crowd to “fuck America” at a Palestinian support event in Seattle.
Macklemore is part of the ownership group of the NHL's Seattle Kraken and MLS' Seattle Sounders FC. Both teams issued joint statements in response to Macklemore's comments.
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Macklemore carries the trophy after the MLS Cup match between the Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC at CenturyLink Field in Seattle on November 10, 2019. (Joe Nicholson – USA Today Sports)
“We believe sports connect and unite people, and while we understand Macklemore's increasingly divisive comments, they do not reflect the values of our respective ownership groups, league or organization,” the team said Monday. KOMO News.
He joined the Sounders ownership group in August 2019 and became part of the Kraken ownership group in April 2022.
“We are currently considering our collective options on this matter,” the statement added.
Macklemore performed at the Palestine Will Live Forever Festival.
“Let me be clear: I'm not stopping. I'm not stopping,” Macklemore said, apparently referring to the crowd chants.
“Yeah, fuck America,” the Grammy Award-winning artist said, drawing roaring applause from the crowd. Video shared An article about X by journalist Cam Higbee.
Macklemore performs during intermission during the Philadelphia Flyers vs. Kraken game at Climate Pledge Arena on February 16, 2023 in Seattle. (Stephen Bisig-USA Today Sports)
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He said proceeds from the event, which will be held at Seward Park Amphitheatre, would be donated to various organizations, including the controversial United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Israeli officials have declared that UNRWA has deep ties to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and the UN itself announced in August that it would fire nine UNRWA staff members for their possible involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Event organiser Maher Jowdi said: South Seattle Emeralds The event was purely in support of the Palestinians.
“What I want people to take away from this is that everything we do in this field is 1,000 percent for Palestine,” he told media. “This is for Palestine and the people who are fighting it every day. We are doing what we can on our side. And as long as we do it with the attitude that all the work we do is for Palestine, then I think we are doing our job.”
Macklemore released an anti-Israel song in May titled “Hind's Hall,” named after a building at Columbia University that students occupied and renamed in honor of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed in the Israel-Gaza war. The song praises the anti-Israel encampments and protests that have taken place on college campuses across the country and criticizes President Biden, police and the music industry.
Macklemore celebrates with the MLS Cup after the Seattle Sounders' win over Toronto FC in the MLS Cup on November 10, 2019. (Stephen Bisig-USA Today Sports)
The rapper released a second version of the song this month in which he slammed Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic presidential nominee when Biden dropped out of the race in July.
It's been almost a year since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing, raping and taking hundreds of people hostage, triggering Israel's ongoing war in the region with no ceasefire in sight.
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As of Tuesday, 101 hostages remained being held in Gaza, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he believed about half were still alive.
Fox News' Daniel Wallace contributed to this report.
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