The European leg of controversial rapper’s 2026 tour has so far been derailed by several cancellations over his past antisemitic remarks. Gigs in UK, France, Poland and Switzerland have already been axed, and his upcoming Italian concert is now under pressure from trade unions and politicians.
Following concert cancellations in the UK, France, Poland and Switzerland, momentum is growing for Kanye ‘Ye’ West’s upcoming concert in Italy to be axed – further fuelling rumours that the European leg of his tour may be cancelled altogether.
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The controversial rapper is scheduled to headline the Hellwat Festival on 18 July at the RCF Arena in the Northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia.
Now, the city’s Jewish community, anti-fascist groups, trade unions and politicians are calling for the gig to be scrapped.
Pina Picierno, who is vice president of the European Parliament and a senior member of Italy’s Democratic Party, has urged the government to intervene.
“The United Kingdom denied the visa. France effectively prevented the Marseille concert,” he told local newspaper La Gazzetta di Reggio. “Italy, meanwhile, is just staying idle with 68,000 tickets sold, as if nothing had happened.”
Rosamaria Papaleo, a representative of the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Unions in Emilia-Romagna, also believes the concert should not go ahead as planned.
“It seems quite contradictory that an artist known for his antisemitic remarks can be hosted by our city, which has always strongly advocated anti-fascist values. Anti-fascism for us is not a whim, but a value rooted in our history,” Papaleo told CBS News.
The union has asked Reggio Emilia’s mayor, Marco Massari, to set up a meeting between West and members of the area’s Jewish population over his past comments.
Massari has said he was “distancing himself from Kanye West’s behaviour and remarks,” but added that any decision regarding West’s entry into the country lies with Italy’s Ministry of the Interior.
As for Victor Yari Milani, the artistic director of Hellwatt Festival, he defended booking West, calling the festival “a space for free artistic expression.”
“The artist’s past comments have certainly provoked a legitimate reaction, but we also want to remember that Ye formally apologised through the Wall Street Journal in January, stating that he is not a Nazi or antisemite but suffers from bipolar disorder,” said Milani.
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’.
So far, the remaining EU dates for West are Turkey (30 May), the Netherlands (6 and 8 June), Italy (18 July), Madrid (30 July) and Portugal (7 August).
