Wireless festival cancelled after Kanye West blocked from travelling to UK

The Wireless festival has announced its cancellation after the government announced it would block Kanye West from entering the country, with the Home Secretary judging his presence in the UK would not be conducive to the public good.

After major backlash following the festival’s announcement on Monday 30 March that the rapper would be headlining the event, the Home Office had confirmed the rapper made an application to travel to the UK yesterday via an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

Following a review, Shabana Mahmood decided to refuse permission.

The Wireless Festival subsequently announced cancellation of the entire three-day event, saying that refunds would be issued to all ticket-holders following the Home Office’s decision.

The decision was confirmed shortly after Downing Street had said  “all options remain on the table” as the Home Office reviewed West’s permission to enter the UK to perform at Wireless Festival this summer.

It emerged that the rapper was initially granted a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) – a mandatory digital permission for non-visa nationals visiting the UK for up to 6 months – because the Wireless Festival is on the permit-free festival list, allowing performers to travel to the UK as visitors.

But this decision was reviewed by the Home Office on Tuesday.

Jewish News revealed there was a strong consensus among ministers to block West from entering the UK to perform at the Wireless Festival in July.

It is understood that a previous decision taken by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s office to block a request from West to perform at the London Stadium this summer was taken into consideration.

The Mayor’s office had reached the decision to block the request to perform at the Olympic Stadium under his control because of community concerns and reputational risk to London.

Responding to the decision, the Community Security Trust (CST) said: “Preventing Ye from performing is a sensible outcome to what has been yet another bruising episode for British Jews, and ought to be entirely separate from the question of whether the festival as a whole goes ahead.

“Anti-Jewish hatred should have no place in society and cultural leaders have a role to play in ensuring that is the case. People who show genuine and meaningful remorse for previous antisemitic behaviour will always receive a sympathetic hearing from the Jewish community, but that process must come before this kind of public rehabilitation.”

A Jewish Leadership Council spokesperson said: “The government’s blocking of Kanye West’s entry into the UK recognises the deep disgust our country feels towards expressions of support for Nazi ideology. It is now incumbent on Wireless to recognise their massive error in judgement that has led us to this point.

“West did not merely share controversial opinions, he repeatedly commercialised his vile antisemitism. He should not be given a public platform in this country.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “the Government has clearly made the right decision here. For once, when it said that antisemitism has no place in the UK, it backed up its words with action.

“Someone who has boasted of making tens of millions of dollars from selling swastika t-shirts and who released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ just months ago clearly would not be conducive to the public good in the UK.

“Wireless Festival, in its desperate quest for profit, defended the invitation until the end. That is shameful, and its sponsors should continue to stay away.”

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust (HET) said:

“This is the right decision. But it’s a sorry state of affairs when the government has to intervene because Wireless doubled down on their decision to knowingly book a racist. Kanye West sold merchandise with swastikas, had a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ and called for death con 3 of Jews. He might have apologised but that does not give him the automatic right to headline a major festival.

“In an age when Jewish communities are facing regular acts of violence, this whole debate sadly shows how normalised antisemitism has become. No other community would be told to ‘forgive’ or ‘talk’ – the disgusting racism would be recognised for what it is.

“Our focus now must be on stamping out anti-Jewish hatred once and for all.”

“We welcome the government listening to the concerns of Jews in the UK and preventing Kanye West from entering the country.

Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies, said:

“It is deeply regrettable that Wireless Festival invited him in the first place and then doubled down when the Jewish community and our allies objected. We note that the Festival has now been cancelled but it should never have reached this point. The situation could and should have been resolved much earlier.

“We hope that lessons are learned across the industry. 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.

“We are immensely grateful for the support of those across the political spectrum and from other minority and faith communities. It should not be for the Jewish community alone to advocate for our safety; it is incumbent on the entire arts and culture sector, and civil society as a whole, to recognise the scourge of antisemitism and heed the concerns of Jews when problematic acts are booked.”

In the statement from Festival Republic, the organisers of Wireless, announcing its cancellation, they also said: “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had. As YE said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK.”

Asked on Tuesday morning about the possibility that the ETA could now be blocked, a Downing Street spokesperson had confirmed: “All options are on the table.”

He also pointed to previous decisions to ban hate preachers and far-right figures from the UK who had used extremist rhetoric.

“Decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis, in line with the law, on the evidence available, but where individuals pose a threat to public safety or spread extremism, the government has not hesitated to act.”

The PM’s official spokesman also said: “Despite West’s apologies, his actions represent a pattern of behaviour that has been going on for years.”

He added: “The organiser talked about second chances. But this is less about second chances; it’s more about the first principles of the abhorrence of antisemitic statements.

“And as the Health Secretary (Wes Streeting) said this morning, forgiveness follows repentance and redemption.”

The rapper had offered to meet the British Jewish community before his shows.

He said in a statement before the Government’s decision: “I’ve been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly.

“My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music.

“I 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.

“If you’re open, I’m here.”

Earlier Home Office sources also told Jewish News they would “guide against” claims that a visa for the artist to enter the UK had already been approved ahead of his controversial booking for the Wireless Festival in July.

Melvin Benn, managing director at Festival Republic, which promotes Wireless, had earlier told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “He has a visa already issued to appear, to come into the country, and the Home Secretary may well rescind that today, I don’t know.

“If she does, she does, and then the issue is over in terms of his appearance.”

“He has an approved visa,” he added.

Asked if the visa was issued so that the rapper could come to the UK in July when the festival is scheduled, Mr Benn said: “Yeah, it’s been issued in the last few days.

“100% it’s been issued over the last few days.”