Ms. Rachel has announced her intention to contribute $1 million US to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), matching the donation made by rapper Macklemore after he was removed from Ed Sheeran’s U.S. tour due to his pro-Palestinian comments during a performance.
Rachel Accurso, the American YouTube personality and educator known as Ms. Rachel, shared her commitment in an Instagram post on Thursday, urging “every affluent white celebrity to match it and take a stand against the genocide in Gaza.”
“More than 20,000 beloved Palestinian children have lost their lives, and more children are killed every day,” she stated. “We hold a moral responsibility to leverage our privilege and platforms to safeguard children and uphold human rights.”
Accurso, who has over 21 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, became a global ambassador for PCRF last September. As a children’s entertainer, she has actively advocated for the rights and protection of children in Gaza, utilizing her platform in recent years to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Macklemore, whose actual name is Benjamin Haggerty, replied to her post with, “Wowwww…. Love you so much.”
The artist behind Can’t Hold Us declared on Instagram on Wednesday that he would donate his entire $1 million net earnings from Sheeran’s tour to six organizations supporting the Palestinian people.
Earlier this week, Macklemore was dropped as an opening act from Sheeran’s The Loop tour after videos surfaced of him repeatedly shouting “Free Palestine” onstage to an enthusiastic audience and expressing his support for Palestinians in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank during a concert on September 4.
During a speech at his second show on September 5, the Grammy-winning artist from Seattle addressed Jewish audience members, stating, “Criticism of Israel, opposition to apartheid, and being against genocide is not a criticism of you.”
“My message is one of peace — love for all human beings to be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.”
His comments sparked significant backlash from pro-Israel groups, leading several venues in the U.S. to threaten show cancellations unless the rapper was removed.
Macklemore later revealed that his removal from the tour was orchestrated by American billionaire and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
In a statement shared with CBC News on Monday, Kraft, a strong supporter of Israel, confirmed his opposition to Macklemore performing at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, which he owns, stating that the stadium would “not serve as a platform for hate speech.” He added that Macklemore’s comments contributed to division through “selective information and ignoring the actions of Hamas.”
Following Macklemore’s departure, there was a swift backlash against Sheeran, with many critics condemning the singer’s neutral stance. The Shape of You artist released a lengthy statement on his Instagram on Tuesday, clarifying that the decision to remove Macklemore “was made by the promoter, not by me.”
He expressed that despite his efforts to “build a bridge,” the venues remained unyielding.
Sheeran expressed his “horror at the conflict between Israel and Palestine,” noting that the “suffering and pain experienced on both sides is a human tragedy.” However, he justified his choice not to take a public position.
“I hold personal views on this heartbreaking conflict,” he wrote in part. “Just because I choose not to speak publicly doesn’t imply that I lack opinions or care deeply.”
Shortly after Sheeran released his statement, all remaining supporting acts announced their withdrawal from the tour, including the Irish folk band Boega, which stated they would also stop serving as Sheeran’s backing band for the remaining U.S. tour dates.
As a result, the tour currently has no opening acts. Sheeran’s next performance is set for Philadelphia on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Kraft revealed that both he and Sheeran have each committed $2 million US towards humanitarian assistance in the Gaza area, in response to a public challenge from Macklemore to match his contribution.
In a statement posted on the official Gillette Stadium account on X, Kraft mentioned that Sheeran had reached out to him prior to the public challenge.
“Ed contacted me and requested that I commit $2 million to match his donation to support the region in combating this humanitarian crisis,” he stated. “Ed intends to reach out to other venue owners, and our goal is to continue collaborating to foster connections.”