KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Police in Congo fired tear gas Tuesday to disperse hundreds of people demonstrating against constitutional changes they said could allow President Felix Tshisekedi to seek a third term in office.
The opposition coalition C64 organized demonstrations in the capital, Kinshasa, and several other cities, including Lubumbashi and Kindu in eastern Congo, despite restrictions on mass gatherings imposed due to the fast-spreading Ebola outbreak.
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Security forces take position ahead of a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People march during a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People march during a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People march during a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People march during a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
The protest in Kinshasa drew hundreds of people and began peacefully, but was dispersed by police with tear gas and warning shots after protesters clashed with pro-government supporters.
“The Congolese state is working with a political party militia,” said opposition leader Martin Fayulu. “God is great; I made it out alive. There was a massacre, and the police were firing at us.”
Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya condemned the opposition for disrupting activities by falsely claiming schools would be closed on Tuesday. “The right to protest is recognized in the Constitution, but it must be exercised properly,” he said.
Police also dispersed a June rally in Kinshasa that C64 organized against the constitutional changes. Several people, including Fayulu, were injured.
Congo is plagued by multiple crises, including an Ebola outbreak and an escalation of the decades-long conflict with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, one of more than 100 armed groups vying for control in the eastern provinces.
Tshisekedi, 62, has been in office since 2019 and is due to complete his second five-year term in 2028. He has said he would be willing to seek a third term if approved by voters in a referendum.
The Congolese Constitution bars any revision of presidential term limits. However, a bill under consideration in the National Assembly, a lower chamber, would allow the president to amend those provisions in the event of a “major dysfunction” that paralyzes state institutions, potentially following a referendum.
The country’s main opposition parties, which have been divided in recent years, joined forces in May under the banner of C64, or Coalition Article 64, to oppose what they describe as an attempt by Tshisekedi to remain in power. The coalition has called the proposed changes a “serious threat” to the country’s stability.
AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
Security forces take position ahead of a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People march during a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People march during a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People march during a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
People march during a protest organized by opposition parties against constitutional changes proposed by President Felix Tshisekedi, in Kinshasa, Congo, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)
NEW YORK (AP) — Four supporting acts, including all scheduled opening acts, quit Ed Sheeran’s tour on Tuesday after the rapper Macklemore was removed for pro-Palestinian comments onstage during a recent show.
Hours after Sheeran posted on social media about Macklemore's ouster and attributed the decision to the tour's promoters, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Beoga, the Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas posted on Instagram that they would withdraw from Sheeran’s tour.
Rowe was one of Macklemore’s replacements for Sheeran’s remaining U.S. dates, while Beoga was serving as Sheeran’s touring band. Finneas, who is Billie Eilish’s brother and musical collaborator, was due to tour with Sheeran in South America later this year.
Rowe and Beoga each cited their country’s history in their statements explaining their decision.
“We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be,” Beoga said.
Rowe called Sheeran a friend and said he’d changed his life.
“But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” he said, saying he could not “stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up.”
Finneas, who has publicly advocated for Palestinians in the past, reiterated his support.
“Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” he wrote.
Lukas Graham, meanwhile, expressed gratitude toward Sheeran and called it “a difficult decision.”
“Money doesn’t give you the right to own the conversation. Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge,” the band posted, seemingly referring to billionaire Robert Kraft’s role in Macklemore’s removal from the tour.
Emails seeking comment were sent to Sheeran.
Sheeran weighed in on Macklemore being dropped as his opening act after the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments onstage during their tour, saying the decision was made by the promoters alone. The British singer also said he refused to be drawn into a public discussion about the war in Gaza.
“Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine,” Sheeran wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “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."
The tour’s promoter, the Messina Touring Group, did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment Tuesday. Macklemore's publicist also did not immediately respond.
Sheeran's statement came a day after Macklemore said he was kicked off the Loop Tour after exclaiming “Free Palestine!” during the Sept. 5 date at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium while introducing his protest song “Hind’s Hall.”
“To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, it in no way is criticism of you,” he said during the concert.
Macklemore said Monday on Instagram that several U.S. venues told the promoter they would prohibit him from performing as Sheeran’s opening act, rallied by Robert Kraft, owner of NFL’s New England Patriots. His Kraft Group also owns Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play.
In a statement Monday, Kraft said the decision to cancel Macklemore was a result of his recent comments “and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”
Sheeran said in his latest post that he “spoke with the venues at length all week to try to build a bridge,” but that “the venue's and promoter's decision was final.”
A growing chorus of organizations and experts say Israel’s wartime actions in Gaza amount to genocide — an accusation Israel vehemently rejects.
Macklemore was scheduled to perform at eight of the 10 shows Sheeran has remaining on his stadium tour, which is scheduled to resume Saturday in Philadelphia. Ahead are stops at Gillette Stadium, Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium.
In his social media statement, Sheeran said he tries to use his music to “bring people from all backgrounds and cultures together” and that while he has personal views about “this devastating conflict,” he chooses not to speak publicly because people who come to his shows “do not expect a political forum.” He added: “I am not complicit.”
“I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes," Sheeran added. "However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace. I choose to use my fame and platform to be a place of safety and sanctuary, to maintain diplomacy and keep conversations open, not closed.”
FILE - Macklemore performs at Austin City Limits Live during the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas on March 17, 2023. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Lukas Forchhammer of the band Lukas Graham appears at th World Mental Health Day Gala in New York on Oct. 9, 2025. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Finneas arrives at the second season premiere of "Beef" in Los Angeles on April 8, 2026. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Aaron Rowe performs during the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, on June 26, 2025. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)
Recording artist Macklemore appears on ABC's "Good Morning America" Summer Concert Series in Central Park in New York on July 22, 2022, left, and Ed Sheeran appears at the premiere of the film "F1 The Movie" in London on June 23, 2025. (AP Photo)
FILE - Macklemore performs at Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater during the South by Southwest Music Festival, March 17, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran performs during "Ed Sheeran's Play: Live from New York" presented by TikTok at Domino Square in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Sept. 13, 2025. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)
