US EditionFestival boss says Kanye West has 'legal right' to perform in UK
Melvin Benn said West has a legal right to perform as sponsors, politicians and Jewish groups condemned the booking and urged ministers to block his entry.
- On Monday, Managing Director of Festival Republic Melvin Benn defended the decision to book Ye to headline Wireless Festival in July, encouraging the public to offer the rapper "some forgiveness and hope."
- Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, faces widespread condemnation for antisemitic remarks and admiration of Adolf Hitler; last year he released a song titled "Heil Hitler" and advertised swastika-themed merchandise for sale.
- Following the announcement, sponsors including Pepsi, Diageo, Rockstar Energy, and PayPal withdrew support from the three-night London festival. Pepsi and Diageo pulled out on Sunday, with Rockstar and PayPal withdrawing earlier today.
- Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood faces calls from politicians and the Campaign Against Antisemitism to ban Ye, while government ministers review his permission to enter the UK.
- Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticized the booking as "deeply concerning," while Benn maintains the festival will not provide Ye a platform to "extol opinion of whatever nature.
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50 Articles
Wireless Festival Head Defends Kanye West Booking: “Offer Some Forgiveness and Hope”
Several companies pulled their sponsorship for the concert following West's booking as the controversial rapper mounts a comeback following a years-long spree of antisemitic comments.
Marks like Pepsi have withdrawn their patronages to the Wireless Festival, which takes place in July. The government is assessing whether the artist is now known as Ye can enter the country.
Wireless Fest Organizer Defends Ye Headlining London Festival: ‘Forgiveness & Giving People a Second Chance Are Becoming a Lost Virtue’
Wireless Fest organizer Melvin Benn has released a statement standing by the decision to have Ye (formerly Kanye West) headline the London-based festival for three nights in a row this summer. Benn, who serves as a managing director of Festival Republic, which oversees Wireless Fest among other U.K. festivals, defended having West perform, but admitted, “What Ye has said in the past about Jews and Hitler is as abhorrent to me as it is to the J…
Wireless Festival Director Asks People to Consider Giving Kanye West a ‘Second Chance’ After Sponsors Pull Out Over Rapper’s Past Antisemitic Behaviors | Just Jared: Celebrity News and Gossip
The Wireless Festival calling for people to give Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, a second chance. After naming the rapper as their headline performer, Wireless has been at the center of significant controversy, with multiple sponsors already pulling out of the event, such as Pepsi, Paypal, and alcoholic beverage companies Diageo and Budweiser/Corona brewer AB InBev. The backlash stems from Ye‘s antisemitic remarks and behavior. He a…
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