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After Australia, UK bans rapper Kanye West from entering country: ‘Celebration of Nazism’ row, explained
Kanye West has caused global outrage for his antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments in recent years, the latest after he released a song, Heil Hitler, last May.
The UK government has barred rapper Kanye West from entering the country ahead of his planned concert at the Wireless Festival in July over his past antisemitic comments.
The move comes after several brands withdrew their sponsorships to the London festival and critics calling organisers to cancel his appearance and demanding revoking of his visa, AP reported.
The British officials and the opposition Conservative Party had condemned Kanye's event and demanded cancellation of his visa over antisemitic remarks.
The latest setback comes months after the American rapper, who changed his name to ‘Ye’ in 2021, was denied entry into Australia over similar reasons.
Why British government refused entry to Kanye West
Kanye West has caused global outrage for his antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments in recent years, the latest after he released a song, Heil Hitler, last May. He also sold swastika T-shirts last year.
After Kanye's participation in the festival went public, brands, including Pepsi, Rockstar Energy and Diageo, pulled out of the festival.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised Wireless Festival for allowing Kanye West to headline, calling his booking “concerning”.
“It is deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism,” he said, adding, “Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted clearly and firmly wherever it appears.”
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A senior British government member said Kanye should “absolutely not” play at the festival.
British ministers have the power to ban foreign nationals from the UK if their presence is not considered "conducive to the public good".
Kanye West's series of antisemitic controversies
Apart from his “Heil Hitler” son and swastika T-shirts for sale, Kanye, who has identified as a Nazi, has been caught in the storm for his social media posts.
He posted an image on Twitter (now X) in 2022 what appeared to show a symbol combining a swastika and the Star of David. He was banned from the social media platform for several months, before the ban was lifted in July 2023.
The same year, in October, West tweeted he would be going “death con 3 on Jewish people,” in a possibly confused reference to the defense readiness condition (DEFCON), a US military term for heightened readiness in the face of a threat.
In his defence, he has apologized and also offered to meet the members of the Jewish community.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kanye, who changed his name in 2021, said he “would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen".
The 48-year-old singer also apologized in January over his controversial song, publishing as a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal.
He blamed the row on his bipolar disorder that led him to fall into “a four-month long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.”
Last year, the American rapper was barred from entering Australia after his song was released. Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke said his department had cancelled West's valid visa, according to BBC.
