Ed Sheeran lookalike defends musician and labels Macklemore a 'brainwasher'

An online Ed Sheeran impersonator has spoken out about the recent controversy surrounding the singer, which saw US rapper Macklemore be dropped as a support act from The Loop Tour for declaring 'free Palestine' on stage.

Sheeran's last leg of the tour has been thrown for an actual loop after the musicians scheduled to open the stage for him announced they would no longer perform.

After it was announced Macklemore would no longer be joining the tour for the rest of the dates, Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Billie Eilish's brother Finneas, Sheeran's backing band Beoga and Danish pop band Lukas Graham all released statements about the issue.

Simply, they said they cannot continue to be on tour in light of Macklemore's firing for supporting Palestine.

This now means that Sheeran doesn't have a single supporting act for his tour, leaving things in a bit of a mess.

Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran's The Loop Tour after he said 'Free Palestine' on stage (Kieran Frost/Redferns)

Ed Sheeran's statement on Macklemore being dropped

Sheeran had spoken out about the choice to drop the rapper, claiming it was the 'promoter' who did so and not him.

He wrote a post saying on Instagram, that 'Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter's decision, it was not mine. Macklemore's contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.'

"I would never let down the fans who had made plans, nor would I abandon the touring crew and the other support acts and musicians who rely on me for work and to make a living."

Impersonator Ty Jones has his say

After his message was posted, the reactions were mixed, but one person who was staunch in their support of Sheeran was his own impersonator – Ty Jones, who posted his own response online.

Ty told viewers that 'we should not be bringing politics' into music where he said people are attending venues for a good time.

Ty Jones works as an Ed Sheeran impersonator, and he's had his say on the controversy (Facebook/Ty Jones)

'I see it as brainwashing'

'Me personally, I'm on Ed's side," he said. "I agree, you should not be bringing politics into somewhere were people are coming to have a good time."

He went on: "I just see it as brainwashing almost, as we all know, musicians and rich people like that, are literally out of touch with 99% of the population, politics doesn't even touch them."

Ty went on to claim that it's banned to be vocal about 'Free Palestine' in the UK.

However, for clarity, it isn't illegal. What has been branded illegal by the UK government is the proscription of Palestine Action, a campaign group, per Garden Court Chambers.

Then, the impersonator mentioned the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks has just passed, alleging that the terror attacks and that of the Manchester Bombings show the level of horror that comes from 'terrorism', a word which he censored in the video.

It 'should be about bringing people together through music'

But he said that Macklemore is 'far from a soldier' and not a 'humanitarian', calling the stage 'not the place for politics'.

Particularly, he took issue with apparent war material shown on the stage screen and some allegations about the conditions in Palestine.

He said a lot of attendees probably won't know what 'Palestine is', and he feels like Macklemore is 'pushing' something, 'brainwashing' and putting 'fuel' on the fire.

In his caption, Ty wrote: "Concerts and massive stadium tours should be about bringing people together through music—not turning a live stage into a divisive political platform. Following the recent fallout on Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, there’s been a lot of conversation about where the boundaries lie for opening acts."

He praised the British singer, saying that Ed has 'always stayed focused on his craft, his fans, and uniting crowds globally through his art, maintaining a respectful space for everyone'.

"Bringing heavy, polarizing geopolitical slogans and divisive rhetoric onto a shared stage puts everyone in an impossible position and alienates huge portions of an audience that just came to enjoy the music," he continued, before urging: "Let's keep the focus on the music, the fans, and the incredible community Ed has built over the years."