Paloma Faith wears shirt supporting Palestinian terrorist who 'murdered five people' as she wades into Ed Sheeran tour row in interview on Channel 4 podcast

Paloma Faith wore a shirt in support of a Palestinian terrorist as she appeared on a Channel 4 podcast to wade into the Ed Sheeran tour row.The British singer, 45, was seen in a 'Free Marwan' football-style shirt which is styled in the red, green, black, and white colours of the state's flag. Faith wore the shirt as she spoke to Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Channel 4's podcast The Fourcast in support of her 'hero' rapper Macklemore, who was dropped from Sheeran's tour for his pro-Palestine comments he made on stage. The limited edition top is being sold for £45 as well as a 'collector's' version for £120 in support of Marwan Barghouti - the West Bank leader jailed by Israel in 2004 to five life terms plus 40 years.Barghouti led Tanzim - the armed grassroots militia wing of the Fatah political faction. It was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel in 2001. He was convicted of murdering four Israeli civilians and a Greek monk, as well as attempted murder and membership of a terrorist organisation. Some legal experts have described the trial as flawed. Barghouti has maintained that he has no connection to the incidents for which he was convicted. He remains one of the most popular Palestinian politicians, according to multiple surveys.Green Party leader Zack Polanski was called 'despicable' for wearing the 'Free Marwan' top in June by the widow of an Israeli man who was stabbed to death by a 17-year-old terrorist. Paloma Faith wore a shirt in support of Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti as she appeared on Channel 4 podcast The Fourcast The limited edition top is being sold for £45 in support of Marwan Barghouti - the West Bank leader jailed in 2004 to five life terms plus 40 years by Israel Marwan Barghouti, the West Bank chief of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement speaks to the journalists before the opening session of the first day of his court case at Tel Aviv's District Court Wednesday Aug. 14, 2002With the collar on the shirt turned up and wearing a gold chain necklace, Faith said the Shape Of You singer was 'learning the hard way that it's quite impossible to be 'apolitical'. Asked by Mr Guru-Murthy what is wrong with Sheeran saying he writes love songs and children don't come to his show for a political rally, the mother of three said: 'When he said that it really upset me because there are so many children in Palestine that are faced with unimaginable things and shouldn't be.'So when he said that, I was like, I say Free Palestine to my children every night. I think children should be exposed to politics.' Macklemore, aka Benjamin Haggerty, was dropped from Sheeran's tour after he delivered a politically motivated speech in support of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank during his performances at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on September 4 and 5.Responding with an Instagram statement after it was confirmed he was leaving, the rapper claimed Sheeran told him billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft orchestrated the move, 'issuing an ultimatum' that the whole tour would be cancelled if Macklemore was not removed.Sheeran addressed the controversy with his own statement, reminding fans he would never publicly take a political stance.Following his comments, it emerged this morning that Irish radio station Classic Hits Radio announced it would no longer be playing Sheeran's music 'for the foreseeable future' after feedback from their audience regarding the situation.And in an escalation of the drama, images have resurfaced showing Macklemore wearing an oversized prosthetic nose, a black beard and a shaggy black wig during a 2014 performance in Seattle.The costume was criticised for resembling an antisemitic caricature of a Jewish man. Macklemore apologised at the time, saying he had no malicious intention and was unaware that the costume resembled a Jewish stereotype.Greta Thunberg, a staunch pro-Palestine activist who was detained twice after travelling on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, has publicly backed Sheeran's 'cancellation', criticising him in a statement shared online.Taking to her Instagram on Tuesday, Thunberg said: 'We are witnessing one of the biggest artists in the world being cancelled because they tried to 'both sides' Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people.'This is a clear and undeniable sign that the global consciousness has shifted. The normalisation of an apartheid state, and the attempts to sanitise or justify its actions, will no longer be tolerated. Ed, there is only one victim here: the Palestinian people.' Green Party leader Zack Polanski was called 'despicable' for wearing the same top in June by the widow of an Israeli man who was stabbed to death by a 17-year-old terroristAfter the news of Macklemore's departure, all of Sheeran's remaining support acts also stepped away from the tour.Sheeran lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers in 24 hours after fans criticised him for dropping Macklemore.In a statement on Instagram, Sheeran addressed the controversy, writing: 'I have always used my platform and music to bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together and this won't ever change.'Those who have been to one of my shows will know that they are about unity, joy, escapism, love, and a place for everyone to feel welcome.'He added: 'I am not complicit. I have 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.'There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics - my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum.'Meanwhile, imprisoned Barghouti is known as the 'Palestinian Nelson Mandela' to his supporters. But Israelis see Barghouti as the man who abandoned the peace process to lead the second intifada, or uprising.In 2000, the second intifada saw bus stops, restaurants and nightclubs being bombed by suicide bombers as militants fought the Israeli army, leading to more than 3,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis dying.Barghouti did not offer a defence in his murder trial following these attacks, making his political role in them ambiguous.He was certified as the top leader of Fatah, the largest secular political faction in the Palestinian territories, and in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and he led and justified both intifadas.Barghouti has never supported Hamas and has recognised Israel's right to exist. He is said to be far more popular than Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and seen as someone who could succeed him and potentially mend the longstanding rift between Abbas' Fatah movement and Hamas. In December 2025, Gary Lineker was among 200 celebrities who signed a petition demanding the release of Barghouti from prison. The Daily Mail contacted Faith's representatives and Channel 4 for comment.