Kanye West attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 92nd annual Oscars at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on 9 February 2020.
- The UK government has blocked Kanye West from visiting to headline a music festival amid a backlash over his past antisemitic outbursts, according to the BBC.
- The organisers of the Wireless Festival in London, where West, now known as Ye, was booked to play all three nights in July, swiftly cancelled the event.
- West on Tuesday offered to meet members of the British Jewish community.
The UK government Tuesday blocked US rapper Kanye West from visiting to headline a music festival amid a backlash over his past antisemitic outbursts, according to the BBC.
The rapper submitted an application to travel to Britain on Monday, but it was refused on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good, the broadcaster cited the Home Office as saying.
The organisers of the Wireless Festival in London, where West, now known as Ye, was booked to play all three nights in July, swiftly cancelled the event.
“As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel,” organisers said on Instagram.
They added all ticket holders would receive “an automatic full refund”. Tickets only went on sale on Tuesday.
As the row heated up earlier Tuesday, West had offered to meet members of the British Jewish community.
The offer from the disgraced 48-year-old hip-hop star followed a decision by drinks giants Pepsi and Diageo to pull out of sponsoring the festival in the British capital.
READ | Calls for Kanye West’s UK ban grow as festival faces backlash over controversial booking
In an advert in the Wall Street Journal headlined “To Those I’ve Hurt”, West said he knew he had to make amends.
“My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music,” he said.
“I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person.”
US rapper and producer Kanye West gestures upon arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 11 July 2025.
In May 2025, West released a song called Heil Hitler to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
“I know words aren’t enough – I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here,” he added.
Bipolar excuse
West has previously expressed regret over his antisemitic rants, which he blamed on his bipolar disorder.
But British government minister Wes Streeting told UK broadcasters he regarded using bipolar disorder “to justify his actions” as “appalling”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also weighed in on the controversy, telling The Sun daily earlier it was “deeply concerning” he had been booked despite “his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”.
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the group would be willing to meet West if he pulled out of Wireless.
“The Jewish community will want to see a genuine remorse and change before believing that the appropriate place to test this sincerity is on the main stage at the Wireless Festival,” he said.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has faced calls from politicians and the Campaign Against Antisemitism to ban West from coming to the UK, on the grounds that his presence would not be “conducive to the public good”.
As tickets went on sale on Tuesday, the PA news agency reported that West’s permission to enter the UK was being reviewed by ministers.
West’s European tour has already provoked controversy. In France, the mayor of Marseille said the rapper was “not welcome” for a concert there in June.
READ | French mayor slams door on Kanye West: ‘Not welcome’ amid antisemitism controversy
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect new information.