A year and a half ago, my husband and I talked about safety before he decided to take our oldest daughter to a reggae concert. Not because we were concerned about her getting a contact high from all the other concertgoers smoking cannabis, but because there were certain to be “anti-war” protesters stationed outside, trying their hardest to “free Palestine” by protesting a Jewish American singer. Matisyahu, whose most famous song, “One Day,” is about peace, has faced protests, boycotts, and deplatforming attempts as he has crisscrossed the country since the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023.

I was reminded of that conversation this week as the world has suddenly become very concerned about free speech after singer Ed Sheeran finally booted his opening act, Macklemore, from his tour. Earlier this month, the tour made the news when Macklemore used his opening set to stage an extended lecture about the Middle East conflict. That was his design. During the show, he told the crowd that a major reason he wanted to join the tour was the opportunity to stand in stadiums and loudly proclaim “free Palestine.”