Ye banned from entering UK over antisemitic remarks

The U.K. government has blocked Ye’s plans to headline an upcoming festival, banning him from entering the country.

The rapper formerly known as Kanye West had been scheduled to perform at the Wireless Festival in July, but the entire festival has been canceled due to the situation, organizers said, according to The Associated Press.

The Home Office determined that Ye’s presence would not be “conducive to the public good,” the BBC reported.

Ye has been known for making several antisemitic, racist and pro-Nazi comments over the past few years.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said of the decision to bar Ye, “The government has clearly made the right decision here. For once, when it said that antisemitism has no place in the UK, it backed up its words with action.

“Someone who has boasted of making tens of millions of dollars from selling swastika T-shirts and who released a song called Heil Hitler just months ago clearly would not be conducive to the public good in the UK.”

Earlier, the entertainer had said he “would be grateful” to meet with members of the Jewish community “to listen.”

“I know words aren’t enough. I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here,” Ye said before the decision was announced, the BBC reported.

About 150,000 people were expected to attend the Wireless Festival in London’s Finsbury Park, the AP reported.

0 of 26