Source : Perth Now news
The promoter of London’s Wireless Festival says Kanye West has a legal right to come into the UK and to perform following calls for him to be barred from entering the nation over anti-Semitic remarks.
The rapper, who is also known as Ye, is set to top the bill for all three nights of the festival in London’s Finsbury Park in July.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has criticised the decision as “deeply concerning”, while major sponsors have withdrawn their support for the festival over the booking.
Britain’s Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood now faces calls from politicians and the Campaign Against Antisemitism to ban West from coming to the UK, arguing his presence would not be “conducive to the public good”.
The Press Association understands West’s permission to enter the UK is being reviewed by ministers.
Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic which promotes Wireless Festival, described himself as a “deeply committed anti-fascist” and “person of forgiveness”.
“Forgiveness and giving people a second chance are becoming a lost virtue in this ever-increasing divisive world and I would ask people to reflect on their instant comments of disgust at the likelihood of him performing (as was mine) and offer some forgiveness and hope to him as I have decided to do,” Benn said.
The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was “time for Wireless to do the decent thing and rescind an invitation they never should have offered”.
“After a week of Wireless Festival avoiding any media, this statement will not reassure many within the Jewish or other communities against whom Kanye West’s invective was directed over a much longer period than his more recent apology,” Phil Rosenberg said in response to Benn’s statement.
“The two key facts remain that Kanye West proclaimed himself a Nazi, and that Wireless stands to benefit financially from his performance.
In a post on social media platform X, the Campaign Against Antisemitism said the prime minister had been right to express concern about Wireless’s decision to book West, but added Starmer was “not a bystander”.
“The government can ban anyone from entering the UK who is not a citizen and whose presence would ‘not be conducive to the public good’,” the group said.
“Surely this is a clear case.”
Pepsi, Diageo and the company behind Budweiser and Beatbox withdrew their sponsorship of the festival after West was announced as the headline act and no brands appeared as visible sponsors on Wireless Festival’s official website.
PayPal, which is a payment partner for the annual rap and hip-hop festival, will not appear in any of its future promotional materials, the Press Association understands.
