The government in the United Kingdom is facing mounting pressure to prevent Kanye West from performing at Wireless Festival in July, when he's scheduled to headline the three-day event. After Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the music festival's decision to platform West on Sunday, several other prominent voices have spoken out on the issue.
Sajid Javid labeled the situation "disgraceful" in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "Yes, he has spoken about mental health challenges," he admitted. "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."
He added: "The organisers have a small window to still do the right thing and disinvite him. If they don’t, just like I did with hate preachers, I’m certain the Home Secretary will want to use her powers and block Kanye West from the UK."
Piers Morgan also weighed in on the site, posting: "Shouldn’t even be a debate. Kanye’s Hitler-loving, Nazi-slathering, Jew-hating bullsh*t should be disqualifying for appearances at any music festival."
The calls to drop Kanye West from Wireless Festival come after several sponsors have already pulled out from the event. "Pepsi has decided to withdraw its sponsorship of Wireless Festival," the company said in a statement on Sunday.
Kanye West's Apology
Kanye West published a full-page apology in the Wall Street Journal, earlier this year. In doing so, he took accountability for his years of antisemitic actions. “I lost touch with reality. Things got worse the longer I ignored the problem. I said and did things I deeply regret,” he wrote in the piece. “In that fractured state, I gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it.”
Last week, West performed at SoFi Stadium, marking his first live show in Los Angeles since 2021. There were calls to cancel that show as well.
