Kanye West’s Switzerland concert canceled as backlash over controversial remarks continues to grow
Topics: Celebrity, Kanye West, Music, World News
Ella Scott
Featured Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Kanye West, Music, World News
A Swiss soccer club has pulled the plug on a possible Kanye ‘Ye’ West concert, alleging that supporting the rapper would not be in ‘accordance’ with the team’s values.
The 48-year-old, who legally changed his name to ‘Ye’ in October 2021, will not perform at St Jakob-Park, the home of FC Basel, with representatives for the venue declining the gig.
In a statement to Reuters, a spokesperson said: “FCB received an enquiry and considered it.
“However, after thorough review, we have decided not to proceed with the project, as we cannot, in accordance with our values, provide a platform for the artist in question within this context.”
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West’s Switzerland show cancelation follows hot on the tail of Wireless Festival terminating the annual event in Finsbury Park, London, where he was booked to headline all three nights.
The decision was made following Ye being denied entry to Britain and major festival sponsors, including Pepsi and Diageo, removing sponsorship funds following antisemitic comments made by the ‘Runaway’ star.
“The Home Office has withdrawn YE's ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom,” a spokesperson for the event said.
“As a result, Wireless Festival is cancelled and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders. As with every Wireless Festival, multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking YE and no concerns were highlighted at the time.”
The father-of-four’s planned show at Poland’s Slaski Stadium in June was also recently scrapped by organizers for ‘formal and legal reasons’.
“The decision to organize a Kanye West concert in Poland is unacceptable,” said Poland’s culture minister Marta Cienkoska before it was put on the chopping block.
“We are talking about an artist who has publicly made antisemitic views, downplayed crimes and profited from selling swastika T-shirts. These are not ‘controversies’. This is a deliberate crossing of boundaries and the normalization of hatred.”
Ye also elected to call off a performance in France, taking to X to write: “After much thought and consideration, it is my sole decision to postpone my show in Marseille, France until further notice.
“I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends. I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it. My fans are everything to me. Looking forward to the next shows. See you at the top of the globe.”
The slew of show cancelations is a result of Ye’s antisemitic tirade, with the singer previously posting statements online, including ‘I’m a Nazi’ and ‘Some of my best friends are Jewish and I don’t trust any of them’, as per the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
During Super Bowl LIX, the American shared an advert advising fans to head to an online store selling $20 T-shirts bearing a black swastika, the symbol adopted by the Nazi Party in the 1920s.
Ye later released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ and appeared in a Twitch livestream giving a Nazi salute.
In January, the artist formerly known as Kanye West apologized for his antisemetic behavior in a full-page Wall Street Journal ad.
In a letter titled ‘To Those I’ve Hurt’, he claimed that he was neither a Nazi nor an antisemite and that he ‘loved’ Jewish people.
He attributed his profoundly offensive statements to his bipolar-1 disorder, which he said he developed as a result of medical oversight failing to diagnose a frontal-lobe injury sustained in a car crash in 2002, as per The Guardian.