Wireless festival cancelled after Kanye West banned from entering UK | Kanye West

The wireless music festival was canceled after the artist formerly known as Kanye West was banned from entering the UK amid a deepening political row over his previous anti-Semitic statements.

West, legally known as Ye, applied to travel to the UK via an Electronic Travel Authorization on Monday but his application was blocked by authorities.

A spokesperson for the festival confirmed that the festival would no longer be held in July, following the announcement of the government’s decision, and said refunds would be issued to those who had already purchased tickets.

The statement said: “The Home Office withdrew the ETA, preventing Ye from entering the UK. As a result, the Wireless festival has been canceled and all ticket holders will be refunded.

“As with every Wireless festival, multiple stakeholders were consulted before booking Ye and no concerns were highlighted at the time. “Antisemitism in all forms is abhorrent and we recognize the real and personal impact these issues have.

“As Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and yet he still hopes to be given the opportunity to start a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK.”

It is understood that the application was initially made online, but was canceled following a review by Home Office ministers on the grounds that it would not be conducive to the public interest for him to be in the UK.

The rapper has been criticized for making anti-Semitic statements, including voicing his admiration for Adolf Hitler. Last year, he released a song called Heil Hitler, a few months after advertising the sale of a swastika T-shirt on his website.

In January, Ye took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal apologizing for his anti-Semitic behavior and attributing his inflammatory actions to his bipolar disorder. In a statement on Tuesday, he offered to “meet and listen” to members of the UK’s Jewish community.

At the weekend, Keir Starmer joined the criticism of the festival, saying it was “deeply concerning” that Ye was performing “despite his previous anti-Semitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”.

The decision to ban Ye left Wireless organizers with three vacancies to fill with just three months’ notice. The ban came on the day pre-sales began for this summer’s events, a busy day of festivals in London.

The organizers’ approach of using an A-list name to headline three consecutive days meant that options for a new artist were limited. Finding a replacement would be complicated, as many artists had already booked their summer schedules months in advance.

On Monday evening, Melvin Benn, general manager of Festival Republic, which is promoting Wireless, said Ye “intends to come and perform,” adding that organizers “did not give him a platform to elevate ideas of any nature, but only to perform songs that are currently played on radio stations and streaming platforms across our country and have been listened to and enjoyed by millions of people.”

Downing Street faced pressure on Tuesday afternoon over whether Ye would be allowed to perform. Asked over lunch to clarify Ye’s visa situation, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “As we spoke, we made it clear that his permission to enter the UK was under review. All available options remain on the table.”

He added: “Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, in line with the law and available evidence, but where individuals pose a threat to public safety or attempt to spread extremism, the government has not hesitated to take action, and this has included canceling permission for extremist preachers and right-wing extremists to enter this country.”

Speaking before the ban was announced, Phil Rosenberg, chairman of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the group would be willing to meet with Ye if he withdraws from Wireless.

“It’s been less than a year since Kanye West released a song called Heil Hitler, the culmination of three years of horrific anti-Semitism. Rosenberg also made numerous offensive comments about the black community, saying the 400-year experience of slavery was ‘like a choice,'” he said.

“Although he claims remorse today, his latest album includes a track called Gas Chamber, which was first released last year and has the obnoxiously titled title.”

The rapper joins a list of American cultural figures who have been banned from entering the UK at times.

Snoop Dogg was denied entry in 2007 after an incident involving his entourage at Heathrow the year before. As a result, he had to cancel his tour with P Diddy. The ban was lifted in 2008.

In the same year, Snoop Dogg was unbanned and television star Martha Stewart was banned from entering the UK due to her conviction for various offenses relating to an illegal share deal in 2004.

Tyler, the Creator was banned for four years by then Home Secretary Theresa May in 2015 due to its lyrics. May used anti-terrorism legislation to block his entry, claiming his music “promotes violence and intolerance of homosexuality” and “incites hatred with views intended to incite others to acts of terrorism”.

The restriction was lifted in 2019 and he told the Guardian he felt like he had “won an invisible war”.