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Country singer Zach Bryan wore a “Free Palestine” shirt during his concert at Robert Kraft’s Gillette Stadium Friday night — one month after the Jewish NFL owner barred Macklemore over his anti-Israel rant.
Bryan, 30, donned a black T-shirt emblazoned with white 3D lettering that read “FREE PALESTINE” as he took the stage for his sold-out show in Foxborough, Ma., on Friday night
A picture of a pine tree sat below, dividing it from the remainder of the message that read “AN APPEAL TO HEAVEN.”
A “Pine Tree” flag and “Appeal to Heaven” are references to an American Revolutionary campaign connected to George Washington’s command of the Continental Army.
“Some American colonists embraced the idea that God could be summoned to help them defend their natural rights,” the National Park Service said about the flag and slogan.
The “Revival” singer wasn’t alone as several of his band members also wore Palestine-branded clothing.
Guitarist Noah Le Gros wore a green Palestine soccer jersey onstage alongside Bryan, later sharing a picture of himself in the shirt standing in front of Kraft Sports and Entertainment signage.
Friday’s concert kicked off a two-night run at Kraft’s stadium as part of the closing leg of his “With Heaven on Tour.”
Bryan’s public “Free Palestine” promotion comes just under a month after Macklemore spewed an anti-Israel during his opening performance for Ed Sheeran’s “Loop” tour at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, on Sept. 4 and 5.
The “Thrift Shop” rapper wore a black-and-white keffiyeh around his neck and called for “free Palestine” as he focused on the war and for “every single human being” to have freedom.
Several NFL owners who were scheduled to host Sheeran’s tour threatened to pull the shows because they didn’t want the rapper’s political speeches at their venues.
Tour promoter Messina Touring Group reassured the group of owners that Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, wouldn’t share any anti-Israel messages during the second night at MetLife.
The rapper didn’t follow the orders and continued, with footage of Gaza and anti-Israel protests displayed on screens behind him onstage.
“Free Palestine. I want those words to be clear so that people from Gaza to the occupied West Bank know that we have not forgotten them. This next song was inspired by the bravery of the Columbia University students, who led an encampment movement that mobilized the entire world, opening up hearts — myself included,” Macklemore said.
Macklemore was dropped from the remainder of the tour after the stadium owners, led by Kraft, threatened to drop Sheeran’s concerts.
Sheeran’s Gillette shows were later canceled due to bad weather.
Kraft and Sheeran, who have a long-standing relationship, spoke about the troubling rapper and agreed to donate money to Palestinian relief efforts.
“Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis,” Kraft said in a statement back in September. “Ed now plans to reach out to other venue owners and our goal is to continue to work together to build bridges.”
Sheeran’s other opening acts dropped out of the tour in solidarity with Macklemore, shortly after the rapper was removed.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. … I stand with Palestine and its people,” wrote Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas, who had been slated to appear on seven dates.
Macklemore has since launched his “Free Palestine” tour making stops in Europe, including Dublin, London and Paris.
“If these last couple of weeks have shown us anything, it’s that something has shifted over the last three years,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram on Sept. 24.
“There has been a collective awakening around Palestinian liberation, the power of billionaires that try to censor that call, and what we expect from artists right now,” he said.
