Photo Credit: Andrew Yu
As multiple sponsors jump ship, the British government is now facing increasing pressure to prevent Kanye West from performing at Wireless Festival this summer.
Kanye West is scheduled to headline all three days of London’s Wireless Festival in July. But it remains uncertain if he will actually get to play there after Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the festival’s decision to platform him. Now, the government is facing mounting pressure to prevent the vocal antisemite from performing at the festival.
“Yes, [West] has spoken about mental health challenges,” wrote former British Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, on social media. “That should be met with sympathy. But declaring yourself a Nazi and promoting a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ should have consequences—and those consequences don’t include being given a stage to spread your hate to thousands of young Londoners.”
“The organizers have a small window to still do the right thing and disinvite him,” he added. “If they don’t, […] I’m certain the Home Secretary will want to use her powers and block Kanye West from the UK.”
English journalist Piers Morgan also noted that the issue “shouldn’t even be a debate.”
“Kanye’s Hitler-loving, Nazi-slathering, Jew-hating bullshit should be disqualifying for appearances at any music festival,” Morgan wrote.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson called West’s past remarks “completely unacceptable and absolutely disgusting.”
“There is no place for that kind of hatred, bigotry, or antisemitism from him or from anyone else,” Phillipson said.
Meanwhile, Michael Weiger, chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the UK should deny the musician entry.
“We think that would be a very appropriate step were the home secretary to find a way to not allow him into the country,” said Weiger.
Stephen Silverman from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) called the booking “astonishing.” He applauded the fact that sponsors were withdrawing their support, but noted that it was bizarre that he had been booked in the first place.
“How could it have conceivably been considered the right thing to do to headline an artist who, less than a year ago, released a music video for a song called ‘Heil Hitler’?” he said.
Several major sponsors, including head sponsor Pepsi, have since pulled out. Even more have announced their intention to withdraw as of Monday. These include drink giant Diageo, Rockstar Energy Drink, and PayPal. That leaves a handful of sponsors that have yet to withdraw, including Budweiser, Beatbox, and Drip.
Kanye was also reportedly looking to play a run of shows at Tottenham Stadium before Wireless Festival was announced, but the venue’s owners rejected their proposal.
“There was no way they would allow Kanye to perform at the club, given its history with the Jewish community,” a source told The Sun. “They then made the proposal to Wireless, which was accepted.”
As news of the backlash has reached new heights, Festival Republic Managing Director Melvin Benn released a statement to weigh in on the issue.
“I am a deeply committed anti-fascist and have been all my adult life,” Benn says. “I lived on a kibbutz for many months in the 1970s that was attacked on October 7th, am pro-Jew and the Jewish state, while being equally committed to a Palestinian state.”
“Having had a person in my life for the last 15 years who suffers from mental illness, I have witnessed many episodes of despicable behavior that I have had to fogive and move on from,” Benn continues. “If I wasn’t before, I have become a person of forgiveness and hope in all aspects of my life, including work.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world and I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do.”
