Children’s YouTuber Ms Rachel has announced a $1 million donation to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, matching the sum pledged by rapper Macklemore after he was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after making pro-Palestine remarks on stage.
The social media star, real name Rachel Griffin Accurso, said on Instagram on Thursday that she was matching the donation and urged “every wealthy white celebrity” to do the same and “speak out against the genocide”.
“Over 20,000 precious Palestinian children have been killed, and children continue to be killed every day,” she wrote. “We’ve a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect children and human rights.”
Accurso, who has more than 21 million YouTube subscribers, became a global ambassador for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund in 2025.
Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Haggerty, responded: “Wow. Love you so much.”
The Thrift Shop singer announced on Wednesday that he would donate $1 million in net earnings from his appearances on Sheeran’s tour to organisations aiding Palestinians.
“With everything that has happened over the last 48 hours, I want to bring the conversation back to where it belongs,” he wrote. “To the Palestinian people who are still being killed, still living under military occupation, and still fighting for their freedom.”
“Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this,” he added. “Palestinian lives are worth protecting.”
Macklemore was removed from the tour after performing at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on September 4 and 5. On stage, he shouted “free Palestine”, performed his protest song Hind’s Hall, and told the crowd he wanted the message to reach “all the way in Gaza to the occupied West Bank”.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whose company owns Gillette Stadium, confirmed he had opposed Macklemore appearing there.
Sheeran said the decision was made by the tour’s promoter, not him, after upcoming venues had threatened to cancel concerts if Macklemore remained on the bill.
“Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me. I am not complicit,” Sheeran posted on Instagram. “I’ve my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
All other supporting acts on the tour quit within roughly an hour of one another on Tuesday in solidarity with Macklemore.
Ms. Rachel is an outspoken advocate for Palestinian children in Gaza, but her advocacy has also drawn significant backlash, including accusations that she promotes anti-Israel propaganda, which she has denied.
She also faced controversy over an accidental “like” on an antisemitic social media comment in 2026, for which she apologised.
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