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The move followed strong criticism from government officials regarding Ye’s history of making antisemitic comments.
Festival organizers have confirmed that Ye is banned, leading to the cancellation of the entire three-day event.
According to the BBC, citing the Home Office, Ye’s travel authorization was denied on the grounds that his presence in the UK would not be “conducive to the public good.”
Ye had been scheduled to perform from July 10-12 at an open-air festival in London’s Finsbury Park, drawing an audience of approximately 150,000 attendees.
Organizers faced increasing pressure from sponsors and politicians to cancel the rapper’s performances due to his controversial antisemitic remarks and expressions of admiration for Adolf Hitler.
Last year, he released a song called Heil Hitler and advertised a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website.
The 48-year-old apologised in January with a letter, published as a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal.
He said his bipolar disorder led him to fall into “a four-month long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behaviour that destroyed my life”.
Wireless sponsors Pepsi, Rockstar Energy and Diageo have pulled out of the festival since Ye was announced as the headliner, and Starmer called the booking “deeply concerning”.
In a statement Tuesday, Ye, who changed his name in 2021, said he “would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the UK in person”, to listen.
“I know words aren’t enough — I’ll have to show change through my actions,” he said. “If you’re open, I’m here.”
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said the group would be willing to meet with the musician if he pulled out of the festival.
“The Jewish community will want to see a genuine remorse and change before believing that the appropriate place to test this sincerity is on the main stage at the Wireless Festival,” Rosenberg said.
Organiser Festival Republic stood by Ye. In a statement issued on Monday, managing director Melvin Benn urged people to offer the performer “forgiveness and hope.”
“We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions,” the statement said.
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting dismissed the organisers’ statement as “absurd” and said Ye should “absolutely not” perform at Wireless.
A representative for Ye didn’t reply to a request for comment.
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