Ministers in the United Kingdom are currently reviewing whether to permit Kanye West to enter the country and perform at Wireless Festival, where he's scheduled to serve as the headliner. According to a new report from Sky News, government officials are weighing the idea of stopping West from going forward with his show in the wake of his antisemitic actions in recent years.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the outlet on Monday: "I don't think he should be performing at the music festival, but I can't comment on specific individual cases that will be considered in line with immigration rules. But there is no place for that kind of hatred, bigotry, or antisemitism from him or from anyone else."
The update comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer already criticized the music festival's decision to platform West on Sunday. "It is deeply concerning Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism," Starmer said. "Antisemitism in any form is abhorrent and must be confronted firmly wherever it appears. Everyone has a responsibility to ensure Britain is a place where Jewish people feel safe."
Several sponsors have already pulled out of supporting Wireless Festival, including Pepsi, Rockstar Energy, and more. "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. At the time, he took accountability for his years of controversial and 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.” The latest drama comes after he took the stage at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, last week.
