Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not hold back on her thoughts about Robert Kraft rallying the rest of the NFL owners to ban Macklemore from their stadium.
Macklemore, during a recent concert where he opened for Ed Sheeran, spoke positively in favour of Palestinian liberation amid the conflict in the Middle East.
Since then, Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, rallied the rest of the NFL owners to issue stadium bans for Macklemore, who was then dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour.
Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images
AOC says Robert Kraft is trying to silence pro-Palestinian voices with Macklemore ban
Speaking with TMZ and other outlets, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was asked about her thoughts on New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft getting all NFL owners to issue a stadium ban for Macklemore.
She suggested that Kraft has set a horrible precedent by silencing Macklemore over his pro-Palestinian comments, and this could create a trend where billionaires leverage their assets to silence people further.
“You see what Robert Kraft did to line up all of the stadium [owners] to censor speech in that one specific way; it’s become clear this is not just about one music artist or two music artists.
“This is about how just a handful of stadium owners and the elites could prevent an entire massive issue like the g——- in Gaza [from being discussed].
“It doesn’t stop there; it could be speaking about AI or any issue. You can just get a handful of stadium owners to ensure that an entire person’s career can be jeopardised if they speak out about any issues.”
Kraft, who has historically been a staunch supporter of Israel and AIPAC over the years, felt that Macklemore’s comments crossed the line, and this ensured he wouldn’t be allowed to perform.
As a result of the stadium ban, Macklemore was dropped as an opening act from Ed Sheeran’s tour, a move that resulted in the British pop star facing massive backlash.
Given the incredibly volatile nature of the subject matter, Sheeran felt that Macklemore’s presence would jeopardise his career and profits, and as such, decided to move on from him.
For his part, Kraft suggested that Macklemore’s previous controversial comments about the Jewish community is what urged him to issue the ban.
But many fans and critics have dismissed this defense, especially in light of Kraft’s political allegiances being exposed.
This matter has begun to take on a life of its own, and could lead to even further controversy if things continue to escalate.
Read more: