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Kanye West’s booking as the headline act for the Wireless festival triggered a major backlash over his previous anti-Semitic comments and songs, leading to the event being cancelled, as ITV News Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda explains
Wireless Festival has been cancelled after Kanye West was blocked from entering the UK ahead of his scheduled headline performance.
“The Home Office has withdrawn YE’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom. As a result, Wireless Festival is cancelled and refunds will be issued to all ticket-holders,” Wireless said in a statement.
“As with every Wireless Festival, multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking YE and no concerns were highlighted at the time.”
West, who also goes by the name Ye, made an application to travel to the UK on Monday, which was blocked by the government, ITV News understands.
The decision was made on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good.
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The Wireless statement continued: “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had. As YE said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK.”
The announcement of West as a headliner at Wireless drew criticism from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and multiple Jewish organisations over his history of antisemitism.
Downing Street had said “all options remain on the table” as West’s application was being reviewed, stating that decisions are taken on a “case-by-case basis, in line with the law”.
In response to the building backlash, West said on Tuesday he wanted to meet with the UK Jewish community in person when he came to London.
“I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly. My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music,” the rapper said.
“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen.
“I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews said the group would be willing to meet West “as part of his journey of healing” but only after he agreed not to play at Wireless.
“It has been less than a year since Kanye West released a song entitled Heil Hitler, the culmination of three years of appalling antisemitism,” Phil Rosenberg said.
“He also made a number of deeply offensive comments about the black community, saying that the 400-year experience of slavery was ‘like a choice’.
“Even while claiming remorse today, his latest album includes a track first released last year with the abhorrent title Gas Chamber.
“The Jewish community will want to see a genuine remorse and change before believing that the appropriate place to test this sincerity is on the main stage at the Wireless Festival.”
The rapper released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ and made t-shirts with swastikas on them Credit: AP
The currently available version of West’s latest album Bully, released last month, does not feature a song called Gas Chamber, but the song All The Love, which features CeeLo Green, was reportedly titled Gas Chambers prior to its release.
PM Starmer called the decision for West to headline “deeply concerning” last week, as major sponsors withdrew their support for the festival over the booking.
Pepsi and Diageo withdrew from the festival, and no brands appeared as visible sponsors on Wireless Festival’s official website on Monday evening.
Additionally PayPal, which is a payment partner for the annual rap and hip-hop festival, will not appear in any of its future promotional materials.
West, who has not performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015, has voiced admiration for Adolf Hitler and made numerous antisemitic remarks in the recent past.
Last year, he released a song called Heil Hitler, a few months after advertising a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website, and he has been barred from X because of antisemitism on multiple occasions.
It is understood that the Mayor of London’s office refused permission for the London Stadium, in Stratford, to stage the rapper’s concert this summer, with sources citing community concerns and the reputational impact on the city.
In response, Ed Davey posted to X: “Glad the government has listened and done the right thing by banning Kanye West from coming to the UK to peddle his hatred”. “British festivals should be a place for celebration, not a platform for someone who has praised Hitler and promoted vile antisemitic conspiracy theories”, The Lib Dem leader added.
The managing director at Festival Republic, which promotes Wireless Festival, defended the rapper’s booking Credit: PA
In January, West took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to apologise for his actions, titled: “To Those I’ve Hurt”.
West said his bipolar disorder, linked to an undiagnosed brain injury, had led him to fall into “a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour” that destroyed his life.
“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” it said. “I love Jewish people.”
Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, which promotes Wireless Festival, described himself as a “deeply committed anti-fascist” and “person of forgiveness” as he defended the rapper’s planned performance.
“What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me as it is to the Jewish community, the Prime Minister and others that have commented and – taking him at his word – to Ye now also,” Benn said.
“Ye’s music is played on commercial radio stations in this country. It is available via live streams and downloads in this country without comment or vitriol from anyone and he has a legal right to come into the country and to perform in this country.
“He is intended to come in and perform. We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions.”
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