Albarn's Palestinian flag moment cast as answer to Macklemore's Sheeran-tour ouster
Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn raised a Palestinian flag on stage in Orlando, a gesture outlets now link to Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour.
What to know
- Albarn's on-stage gesture is being read by outlets as a direct answer to Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour after a pro-Palestine speech.
- Macklemore was dropped after Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft called the speech "deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community"; Pink and the Israeli American Council had called for his removal.
- The gesture sits against UN and Amnesty International findings of genocide in Gaza, which Israel rejects as "distorted and false".
- Video of Albarn's flag moment spread widely across X, Bluesky and Mastodon, drawing large engagement within days.
“we cannot deny the Palestinians their existence”
Damon Albarn, Gorillaz frontman · NME (Channel 4 News interview) · Sep 18
Damon Albarn Gorillaz frontmanMacklemore Rapper, former Ed Sheeran tour opener
Robert Kraft Gillette Stadium owner
Ed Sheeran Musician, tour headliner
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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Fox News calls the gesture a response to Macklemore's removal — Fox News published a headline and story stating Albarn's Palestinian flag display was "an apparent response" to Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's tour, sharpening the framing of the two incidents as connected.
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NME situates the gesture within the Macklemore backlash
NME's coverage explicitly frames Albarn's flag moment against the controversy over Macklemore's removal, also citing Ed Sheeran's later comments and UN genocide findings.
“not complicit…”
— Ed Sheeran -
🇵🇸 Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn raises Palestinian flag on stage “Don’t forget this. Ever. Stand your position. Don’t ever be neutral.”
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Having a show or tour canceled for your political views is basically the quintessential example of deplatforming, in every sense of the word. Don't do a no true Scotsman fallacy trying to define it more narrowly than that. You'll end up accepting nothing other than public execution and total effacement of any legacy as an example
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Video of the flag moment spreads widely on social media
Clips of Albarn's gesture, sourced from a TikTok video, were reposted on X, Bluesky and Mastodon, with the X post alone drawing over 17,000 likes and hundreds of comments.
“Don’t forget this. Ever. Stand your position. Don’t ever be neutral.”
— Damon Albarn, Gorillaz frontman · source -
Damon Albarn of Gorillaz holds up a Palestinian flag at their show last night in Orlando, FL: “Don’t forget this. Ever. Stand your position. Don’t ever be neutral” 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 (Video: 0beco0 / TikTok)
1 more of the top 2 · 3 posts in this stretch
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# Palestine # politics “ Damon Albarn of Gorillaz holds up a Palestinian flag at their show last night in Orlando, FL: “Don’t forget this. Ever. Stand your position. Don’t ever be neutral” https:// substack.com/@eyesonice/note/c -340238420?r=17qxua&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
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Albarn raises Palestinian flag during Gorillaz's Orlando show — During a 24-song set at Orlando's Kia Center opening Gorillaz's US tour, Albarn took a Palestinian flag from an audience member, lifted it above his head and addressed the crowd.
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Macklemore's Gaza speech leads to his removal from Sheeran's tour — Macklemore's impassioned "free Palestine" speech while opening for Ed Sheeran prompted calls for his removal from figures including Pink and the Israeli American Council; Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft confirmed he had him dismissed.