Rapper Kanye West gestures to the crowd as he holds his first rally in support of his presidential bid in North Charleston, South Carolina, US, July 19, 2020. RANDALL HILL / REUTERS
France's interior minister is seeking to block US rapper Kanye West from performing in the southern city of Marseille in June due to his antisemitic remarks, a source close to the minister told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday, April 14. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is "highly determined" to ban the June 11 concert and is exploring "all possibilities," the source said.
Britain has blocked the US rapper from entering the country for the same reason, prompting organizers of a festival he was to headline to cancel the July event. The organizers of the Wireless Festival in London, where West, now known as Ye, was booked to play all three nights, swiftly canceled the event. "As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel," organizers said on Instagram. They added all ticket holders would receive "an automatic full refund."
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. West has previously expressed regret over his antisemitic rants, which he blamed on his bipolar disorder.
