By Suban Abdulla and Sam Tabahriti
LONDON, April 7 (Reuters) – U.S. rapper Kanye West on Tuesday offered to meet Britain’s Jewish community in response to a backlash against him performing in London in July over past antisemitic comments and celebration of Nazism.
The government is under pressure to deny entry to West, now known as Ye, after he was named headline act for the Wireless Festival. Several major companies have cancelled their sponsorship of the event.
Ye has performed in the U.S. and Mexico City this year but was barred from Australia last July after releasing “Heil Hitler”, a song promoting Nazism. He also advertised a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.
He took a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal in January to apologise, attributing his behaviour to an undiagnosed brain injury and an untreated bipolar disorder. He also apologised for past expressions of admiration for Adolf Hitler and use of swastika imagery.
YE SAYS HE WANTS TO BRING ‘UNITY, PEACE, LOVE’
Ye said on Tuesday he had been following the conversation around Wireless.
“My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace and love through music,” he said.
“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen,” he said. “I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the decision to book Ye was “deeply concerning” and an interior ministry source said ministers were reviewing his permission to enter Britain.
In January, the department revoked the entry permit of Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a Dutch far-right activist, for spreading false information.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Ye’s actions were not just a handful of “off‑colour remarks”, but “a pattern of behaviour – the releasing of a song called ‘Heil Hitler’, plastering that slogan across t‑shirts, then using bipolar disorder as an excuse”.
FESTIVAL ORGANISER URGES CHANCE FOR FORGIVENESS
Melvin Benn, managing director at organiser Festival Republic, said Ye’s comments had been “abhorrent” but that he would not be given “a platform to extol opinion”, adding that his music was played on British radio stations and available on livestreams.
“Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world,” Benn said.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said the community would want to see genuine remorse and change.
“As such, we are willing to meet Kanye West as part of his journey of healing, but only after he agrees not to play the Wireless Festival for this year,” said board president Phil Rosenberg.
Live Nation, the other organiser of the festival, did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
The Jewish Leadership Council last week condemned the booking of Ye after a rise in attacks on Jewish people and targets.
The 48-year-old has not performed in Britain since headlining Glastonbury in 2015.
Drinks companies Diageo and Pepsi cancelled their support for the festival, and PayPal said its branding would not appear in future Wireless promotion material.
(Reporting by Suban Abdulla and Sam Tabahriti; additional reporting by Natalia Bueno Rebolledo; Writing by Paul Sandle; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
