UK bans rapper Kanye West after antisemitic comments

(AFP) American rapper Kanye West will be banned from the United Kingdom for his antisemitic statements in recent years, the BBC reported Tuesday, prompting the London festival where he was due to perform to be canceled, organizers announced.

West, 48, had submitted a visa application Monday to enter the United Kingdom, but it was rejected on the grounds that "his presence would not be conducive to the public good," according to the BBC, citing the Home Office as a source.

The rapper claimed in an ad in The Wall Street Journal to be willing to meet with members of the British Jewish community as a sign of goodwill.

"To Those I've hurt"

"My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music," the singer had written in that column, under the title "To Those I've Hurt."

"I know words aren't enough – I'll have to show change through my actions. If you're open, I'm here," the former husband of Kim Kardashian noted, claiming to be willing to meet with members of the British Jewish community to "listen to them."

The organizers of the Wireless Festival, where Kanye West was scheduled to perform three concerts, between July 10 and 12, announced that the event was canceled after it became known that the rapper will not be able to perform.

"As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel," the organizers said on Instagram.

The announcement of his participation in the festival sparked outrage.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called his participation "deeply concerning," and several representatives of Jewish organizations and London Mayor Sadiq Khan had protested, according to AFP.

In addition, sponsors of the festival, including Pepsi and Diageo, had announced their withdrawal from the event.

Antisemitic and racist statements

Ye, as the rapper is now called, has in recent years lost many fans and several commercial contracts after antisemitic and racist statements.

"I see good things about Hitler. ... I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis," he went so far as to say in 2023.

In May 2025 he released a track titled "Heil Hitler" to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II.

"I'm not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness," West wrote, invoking his bipolar disorder to justify his racist statements.

British Health Minister Wes Streeting advanced that his government was looking into the possibility of denying him entry to the United Kingdom.

The announcement of the cancellation of the festival comes as ticket pre-sale began on Tuesday.