THE PM has slammed Wireless Festival for booking Kanye West after his vile Nazi rants.
said it was “deeply concerning” the controversial US rapper is headlining the North London event in July.
Sir Keir Starmer has slammed Wireless Festival for booking Kanye West after his vile Nazi rantsCredit: Getty
Starmer says ‘it is deeply concerning’ that Kanye will be performing in the UK amid concerns from Jewish groupsCredit: PA
The Prime Minister said and “celebration of Nazism” are abhorrent and concert organisers must not make Jewish communities feel unsafe.
at the , playing to 150,000 people in total.
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said it was “absolutely the wrong decision” and called on the Government to ban him from coming here.
Educational Trust boss Karen Pollock told the booking “is causing distress to Britain’s Jewish community due to his previous antisemitism and support for Hitler”.
She said: “He wrote a song entitled Heil Hitler. I know he has since apologised, but if an artist had singled out any other ethnic or religious group for such horrific abuse you’d expect them never to get a gig ever again, let alone headlining major UK festivals.
“Wireless should think again about whether they want to provide a platform for antisemitism.”
West has sold and been pictured wearing swastika T-shirts and his song Heil Hitler, released last year, glorified the Nazi leader.
Sir Keir told the Sun on Sunday: “It is deeply concerning has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism.
“Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears.
“Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe.”
Wireless will be West’s first concert in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015Credit: Getty
His stance comes at a time when there is high tension among the UK’s Jewish community after a spate of antisemitic attacks.
They include the in last October by attacker Jihad Al-Shamie, who was shot dead by cops at the scene.
Three people have also been charged after in Golders Green, North London, last month in a suspected antisemitic attack.
Kanye, also known as Ye, has called himself a Nazi and said he was going “death con 3 on Jewish people”.
He was one of America’s most celebrated musicians, with 160 million record sales and 24 Grammy Awards.
The star previously had a “bromance” with US President , who invited him to the in 2018.
Kanye has previously been close with US President Donald Trump and even visited the White HouseCredit: AFP
The 48-year-old will headline all three days from July 10-12 at the Finsbury Park stage in North London, with 50,000 tickets each night.
The festival will also be televised to millions globally on the streaming platform.
It will be West’s first concert in the UK since he headlined in 2015.
Organisers will charge £140 for day tickets and a three-day pass is priced at £360.
Kanye was blocked from entering last year over his Hitler song.
And Britain could follow suit when the rapper applies for a visa.
Home Secretary has the power to ban foreign nationals entering the country if their presence is deemed “not conducive to the public good”.
The Jewish Leadership Council branded his booking “deeply irresponsible”.
It added: “His most recent apology must be considered in the context that he went on to sell swastika T-shirts and release a song called Heil Hitler after apologising previously.
“Any venue or festival should reconsider before providing their platform to to spread his antisemitism.”
The Community Security Trust said: “Antisemitism causes real harm to Jewish communities and decisions like this risk signalling that anti-Jewish is welcome in the music industry.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism pointed out West has more online followers than there are Jews in the world.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has the power to block Kanye West entering the UKCredit: Getty
It added: “It is disappointing that venues have been so quick to invite someone who was so recently peddling , Hitler worship and bigoted lies — including now one of the UK’s biggest festival stages.”
Mayor of London Sir has also condemned the booking, saying the star’s past comments were “offensive and wrong”.
And Lib Dem leader Sir has also called for West to be banned from the UK.
in a full-page advert in The Wall Street Journal earlier this year.
He said he loves Jews and blamed his bipolar disorder for his “poor judgment and reckless behaviour”.
The Wireless announcement came days after he , Bully.
Festival organisers said his comeback will be an “extraordinary chapter in Wireless’s story”.
Wireless was approached for comment.
Rapper glorified Nazi evil
Kanye was banned from social media for his glorification of the NazisCredit: YouTube / Chris Venegas
- By Eleanor Gunn
CONTROVERSIAL rapper Kanye West shocked fans last year by releasing music and merchandise celebrating the .
The 48-year-old, who shares four children with his ex-wife , even wrote a song called “Heil Hitler”.
It was released on May 8 — Victory in Europe Day — and contains pro-Hitler lyrics and extracts from one of his speeches.
West also released a line of T-shirts featuring swastikas last February and has posed in a Ku Klux Klan outfit.
Four years ago, he was banned from social media after threatening to kill Jewish people.
He later apologised, saying he had bipolar disorder.
Prior to his antisemitic meltdown, West was considered one of the greatest of all time and won 24 Grammys.
Anti-Jew violence UK high
EXTREME violence against Jewish people was at an all-time high in the UK last year, according to data.
Three alleged arsonists faced their first court hearing yesterday accused of destroying ambulances belonging to a Jewish-run charity last month.
Meanwhile, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed during an attack at Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester last year.
Since the October 7 attacks in 2023, anti-Semitism incidents have doubled, says Community Security Trust data.
Its report says musicians can have an impact after group Bob Vylan’s lead singer chanted “Death to the IDF” at Glastonbury last year.
This led to a spike in antisemitic online abuse the next day, said data.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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