Kanye West offers to meet British Jewish community ahead of London performance

Kanye West has offered to meet with the British Jewish community ahead of his show at a London festival amid a backlash over his antisemitic comments.

The planned headline performance by the rapper, now known as Ye, at Wireless this summer has provoked calls for him to be banned from the UK because of behaviour, which has included releasing a song called Heil Hitler and advertising a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.

As tickets for the three Finsbury Park concerts went on sale on Monday, West said in a statement “I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly.

“My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music.

“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person, to listen.

“I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions.

“If you’re open, I’m here.”

The rapper will top the bill for all three nights of the festival in July.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has called the decision “deeply concerning”, while major sponsors have withdrawn their support for the festival because of the booking.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is among those who say West should not perform at the festival, telling Sky News on Tuesday that organisers should be “ashamed of themselves”.

Mr Streeting said: “I cannot for the life of me understand why Wireless still have him as a headliner.

“There are plenty of other talented artists in this country, let alone internationally, who would benefit from the exposure and who in turn would help drive ticket sales.

“To provide this kind of platform and opportunity to Kanye West against this backdrop of behaviour I think is a very bad error of judgment.”

He went on to accuse West of using his bipolar disorder to “justify his actions”, which he said was “appalling”.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has faced calls from politicians and the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) to ban West from coming to the UK, saying his presence would not be “conducive to the public good”.

The Press Association understands that West’s permission to enter the UK is currently being reviewed by ministers.

Presale tickets for Wireless Festival are released at 12pm on Tuesday, and the general sale opens at 12pm on Wednesday.

Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, which promotes Wireless Festival, defended the decision to put West on the bill, describing himself as a “deeply committed anti-fascist” and “person of forgiveness”.

In a statement, Mr Benn added: “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.”

The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was “time for Wireless to do the decent thing and rescind an invitation they never should have offered”.

Responding to Mr Benn’s statement, Phil Rosenberg, the group’s president said: “After a week of Wireless Festival avoiding any media, this statement will not reassure many within the Jewish or other communities against whom Kanye West’s invective was directed over a much longer period than his more recent apology.

“The two key facts remain that Kanye West proclaimed himself a Nazi, and that Wireless stands to benefit financially from his performance.

“Indeed, we note that concern was Mr Benn’s initial reaction to the idea of inviting Kanye West. It remains ours.

“Kanye West may well be on the path to health and healing. We sincerely hope that he is.

“But the space to test this is not over three days on the Wireless main stage.”

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said West was “guilty of appalling antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments” as he urged Ms Mahmood to use her powers under the Immigration Act to refuse him a visa.

Pepsi, Rockstar Energy and Diageo withdrew their sponsorship of the festival after West was announced as the headline act, and no brands appeared as visible sponsors on Wireless Festival’s official website on Monday evening.

Additionally PayPal, which is a payment partner for the annual rap and hip-hop festival, will not appear in any of its future promotional materials, the Press Association understands.

West, who has not performed in the UK since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015, has drawn widespread criticism in recent years after he began voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler, and has made a series of antisemitic remarks.

The musician has been barred from X because of antisemitism on multiple occasions.

It is understood that the Mayor of London’s office refused permission for the London Stadium, in Stratford, to stage a Kanye West concert this summer, with sources citing community concerns and the reputational impact on the city.

In January, West took out a full-page advert in the Wall Street Journal to apologise, titled: “To Those I’ve Hurt.”

“I am not a Nazi or an antisemite,” it said.

“I love Jewish people.”

In his letter, he said his bipolar disorder led him to fall into “a four-month-long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.