Jewish Leaders Criticize Announcement Ye Will Headline All 3 Nights of London’s Wireless Festival

Organizers of the Wireless Festival in London have come under fire after announcing this week that Grammy-wining rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, will headline all three nights of this year’s annual rap and hip-hop music event.

The festival will mark Ye’s first performance in the United Kingdom since he headlined Glastonbury in 2015. The three-day festival will take place at Finsbury Park from July 10-12 and Ye is the only act to have been announced for the festival thus far. The announcement was made following the release of his 12th studio album, “Bully,” last week. Canadian rapper Drake headlined all three days of the Wireless Festival last year, and each night highlighted a different era of his music catalogue.

Phil Rosenberg, the president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, told the BBC’s “Newsnight” that booking Ye to perform at the Wireless Festival was “absolutely the wrong decision.”

“We’re in this moment of really high levels of antisemitism,” said the president of the largest group representing the British Jewish community. “So, to have someone whose recent track record is, as you said, declaring himself a Nazi, putting out a song called ‘Heil Hitler,’ seems to be absolutely the wrong decision and many Jewish people will worry that that will just inflame what is already a very febrile situation.”

Rosenberg also called on the British government to consider banning Ye from entering the country, like Australia did last year after the rapper released his song “Heil Hitler.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the Board of Deputies of British Jews told The Telegraph that it will reach out to organizers of the Wireless Festival to “raise our concerns around Kanye West’s previous comments around Jews, as well as seeking assurances that the safety of Jewish attendees at the festival will be assured.”

The “Flashing Lights” singer labeled himself a “Nazi” and admirer of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler last year, sold T-shirts featuring swastikas, and has made several anti-Jewish and antisemitic comments on social media. In January, the musician took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal in which he apologized for his antisemitic behavior. He blamed his actions on his bipolar type-1 diagnosis, which he had previously denied having. He also insisted he is “not a Nazi or an antisemite.”

Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), a British charity and watchdog group, said Ye’s past antisemitic actions have a “huge impact” and it is “disappointing” to see venues “so quick to invite someone who was so recently peddling conspiracy theories, Hitler worship, and bigoted lies – including now one of the UK’s biggest festival stages.”

“His cycle of apology and relapse has become a routine, and we must wait to see if this time is any different,” CAA added. “What is notable is that the latest apology came on the eve of the release of a new album. If he remains on the right path and makes more effort to make amends, that is well and good, but if he returns to his old ways these venues, including Wireless, will have much to answer for.”

The decision to have Ye headline the Wireless Festival was also condemned by The Jewish Leadership Council, which described festival organizers as “deeply irresponsible,” and the Community Security Trust, which called the move “completely unacceptable,” as reported by the BBC.