UK govt bars Kanye West, forcing cancellation of festival

LONDON

The U.K. government on April 7 blocked U.S. rapper Kanye West from entering the country due to his past antisemitic outbursts, prompting organizers of a festival he was to headline to cancel the July event.

The disgraced rapper had submitted on April 6 an application to travel to Britain, but it was refused on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good, a U.K. government source confirmed.

The organizers of the Wireless Festival in London where West — now known as Ye — had been booked to play all three nights in July swiftly cancelled 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." Tickets had only gone on sale on April 7.

Controversy around West headlining the festival grew over the weekend, with a string of the event's sponsors pulling out, including drinks giants Pepsi and Diageo.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who on April 4 had called booking West "deeply concerning," said that the 48-year-old hip-hop star "should never have been invited to headline Wireless."

"This government stands firmly with the Jewish community and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism," Starmer added on X.

West, who last performed in Britain when he headlined the Glastonbury festival in 2015, has been heavily criticised for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler.

In May 2025, he released a song called "Heil Hitler," months after advertising a swastika t-shirt for sale on his website.

The song was banned by major streaming platforms.

The U.S. rapper subsequently expressed regret for his conduct, blaming it on his bipolar disorder.

As the row around his planned London performance heated, West had offered to meet members of Britain's Jewish community.

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, welcomed the government intervention but said "the situation could and should have been resolved much earlier."

"We hope that lessons are learned across the industry," he added.

"Music festivals should be places where all communities feel welcome, not venues that platform individuals with records of profiteering from antisemitism, racism and other repulsive views."