Kanye ‘Ye’ West’s upcoming concerts in Poland and Switzerland have been cancelled, as more European countries are turning their backs on the controversial rapper amid a furore over his past antisemitic comments.
Two more Kanye ‘Ye’ West concerts have been cancelled over the controversial rapper’s past antisemitic comments.
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Following the UK government barring his entry to the country and the subsequent cancellation of this year’s Wireless Festival, as well as West’s Orange Velodrome Marseille gig postponed in France, both Poland and Switzerland have pulled the plug.
West was due to appear at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów on 19 June, his first performance in Poland for 15 years. However, the venue announced that the concert would not take place “due to formal and legal reasons.”
The decision came after the country’s Culture Minister, Marta Cienkowska, condemned the rapper, arguing that his history of offensive remarks should bar him from performing in a nation “scarred by the history of the Holocaust”.
“We cannot pretend that this is just entertainment,” Cienkowska said. “We are talking about an artist who has publicly made anti-Semitic remarks, relativised crimes, and profited from selling T-shirts with a swastika. These are not ‘controversies.’ This is a deliberate crossing of a boundary and a normalisation of hate.”
She concluded by saying culture could not “be a space for those who use it to spread contempt”.
West was also due to perform at St. Jakob-Park, the home of football club FC Basel, in June. This weekend, the club announced that they too had backed out after a "thorough review".
FC Basel said in a statement: "FCB received an enquiry and considered it. However, after thorough review, we have decided not to proceed with the project, as we cannot, in accordance with our values, provide a platform for the artist in question within this context."
Following France’s decision to postpone his gig, West wrote on X: “I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends. I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it. My fans are everything to me. Looking forward to the next shows. See you at the top of the globe.”
The only remaining EU dates for West are now Turkey (30 May), the Netherlands (6 and 8 June), Italy (18 July), Madrid (30 July) and Portugal (7 August). Considering the recent waves of cancellations, there is speculation that the European leg of the tour could end up being cancelled altogether.
West’s anti-Semitic remarks began in 2022, when he made a series of offensive comments on social media which ended up getting him booted off both X and Instagram. The musician was dropped by his talent agency and fashion brands like Adidas and Balenciaga also distanced themselves from West.
West went on to post a picture of KKK robes, rescind his previous apology to the Jewish community, declare himself “a Nazi” and assert that he has“dominion over his wife”.
In February 2025, West started selling swastika t-shirts, and in May, he released a song titled ‘Heil Hitler’, which praised the Nazi leader. This led him to be stripped of a visa to enter Australia and faced with immediate arrest in Brazil.
West apologised for his actions and took out a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal earlier this year. He addressed his past antisemitic comments, reflecting on a "four-month-long manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour" and saying that he “lost touch with reality.”
Still, many questioned the timing of his apology, considering the recent release of his new album ‘Bully’.
