To feel sorry for Ed Sheeran.....

Trump style? You have seen how that is working out…..Iran is already a pariah state. Uk has sanctions against Iran.

The Iranian regime funds the terrorism that has brought such misery to Palestinians ( and everyone in the Middle East)
The Iranian regime has caused enormous suffering to its own people- particularly LGBT, women and people with liberal non religious views.
I would like Iran to be freed from all of that oppression and terror.

No idea really ,
It’s actually pointless to bring up civil conflicts to this debate, Iran is an independent recognised country.

Free Iran from its current oppressive regime.

I think the point is that you can’t trust the judgment of celebrities who use fashionable causes to bolster their profile and popularity ( or politicians who do exactly the same)

Who is Macklemore, never heard of him. Someone else who is after publicity for himself.
Ed is better off without a ‘friend’ like that.

Still don’t understand the point. I am probably missing something.

so many celebs and governments voiced support for Iranians , support for regime change,
even criticism for Us military strikes on Iran. it was all over my social media feed , Fyp.

Free Iran from?

I believe many people and governments would like an end to the war in Iran. Sorry I am not sure what you are on about.

And now we are at the whatabout stage of the argument, which is fine when having a discussion. This isn’t about a well curated argument this is one person throwing out statements and another person n saying no I don’t want to do that. Both are reasonable.
The issue is cancelling, banning, name calling someone whose reasonable position is different to yours. That undermines your argument, makes you look like a bully and helps no one.

What is the answer I won’t admit to?

Just googled it, apparently he said:

’So I say Free Palestine, I say Free Lebanon, I say Free Cuba, I say Free Congo, Free Sudan...’

I wonder who he wishes Lebanon to be freed from? Could it be Hezbollah?

Well, I’ve heard people saying “free Palestine” and “genocide” and “from the river to the sea” (do they even understand what that means??) non-stop since October 7th.

Not once have I ever heard anyone say “Free Iran” for example.

And we are all against hideous forms of bullying right?

Completely agree with you OP. Also I caught a glimpse of Paloma Faith’s interview on last night’s news and was really depressed by her determination to castigate someone for wanting to protect their music as a space for everyone to enjoy, regardless of their politics or background. Why is that not an acceptable goal?

She was asked about ES’s response that there were children at his concerts and said, bizarrely “I didn’t like him saying that, actually, because there are also children in Gaza”. Yes, of course there are, and what has happened to them is horrific, but why on earth does that mean that children being taken to a pop concert on the other side of the world need to find themselves subjected to divisive political soap boxing?

She then said, even more weirdly, “I say Free Palestine to my own children every night”. Right. Umm…why? Because heaven forbid they grow up without knowing the magic words to be accepted as on the right side of history…

That is disgusting. And yet he wasn’t cancelled was he? Double standards.

I mean, Macklemore himself said ‘Free Sudan’ in the same breath as he said the very thing that caused this thread at the Ed Sheeran concert

Were there many calls for a free Palestine before 1967, when the West Bank and Gaza were under Jordanian and Egyptian administration respectively?
And why didn’t the Palestinians agree to any of the sovereign statehood proposals made to them since 1937?

Do you ever hear anyone chanting “Free Iran”?

Do you ever hear anyone chanting “Free Sudan”?

Do you ever hear anyone chanting “Free Yemen”?

No. You don’t.

So you can call it a “silly question” and not engage all you like. But you don’t want to answer because you don’t want to admit to what the answer is do you?

It means an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine, recognition of Palestine as a state with borders prior 1967 re instated and a two state solution. I believe this is what it means for most people and countries. Many countries have already recognised Palestine as a state.

Spineless would have been to have gone along with people telling him how to think instead of standing up for what he believes, which is that he doesn't want his shows to be political.

Why is he considered spineless for not supporting someone else’s opinion?

Nope. He got what he deserved for being spineless.

Way to simplify a highly complex conflict 🙄

There is always a worse crime than racism. It's still wrong.