CMAT takes on Ed Sheeran: “Irish people will hold you to account”

The Dunboyne Diana said Sheeran surrounding himself with Irish musicians meant he would be at risk to speak up.

Speaking on The Daily Show in the US, CMAT said Sheeran "wanted to identify as being Irish".

"He wanted to reconnect to his Irish heritage, and he wanted that to be a part of his personal brand and a part of his music," she said.

"So he hired all these amazing Irish musicians. Was supporting Irish musicians. Was really in there, like on the ground level in the Irish music scene, which was amazing.

"The problem then is that if something like this issue, and if something like the issue of what I would refer to as genocide happens, then you know Irish people are going to hold you to account for that."

Multiple Irish acts pull out of Ed Sheeran’s tour in solidarity with Macklemore. The news came after Macklemore made several onstage statements in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and called for a “free Palestine.” He said that no child deserved to die. He was dropped after a pressure campaign by IDF-linked billionaire Robert Kraft.

Beoga, Biird, Aaron Rowe, and Finneas, all the support acts for the tour, then quit.

CMAT said it should not have been surprising.

"What I think the actual issue is is that there are so many other musicians playing in massive stadiums that are not surrounding themselves with people that will hold them accountable, so it doesn't get shown up.

"And I actually think that this is the problem. He's a guy that maybe got a bit unlucky by his choices. I actually think there's a lot of people who are doing much worse than him, and that's why I think maybe a lot of the criticism is a bit unfair.

"I think there's a lot of people who are not saying anything or doing anything to help the Palestinian people right now that are just not getting it in the neck because they refuse to be surrounded by people who would make it an issue for them."

1,439 Palestinian people have been killed and 5,052 wounded since a so-called “ceasefire” took effect in October.

The entire death toll in the Gaza genocide is thought to be above 75,000.