Kanye West is headlining all three nights of Wireless Festival in London this July, and the Jewish Leadership Council isn’t having it.
The organization called the booking “deeply irresponsible,” given West’s documented history of antisemitic statements, Nazi imagery, and his association with white supremacist figures.
The Jewish Leadership Council’s statement was direct: “Any venue or festival should reconsider before providing their platform to Kanye West to spread his antisemitism.”
This move comes as the UK Jewish community faces record-level attacks, including a terrorist assault on a Manchester synagogue and coordinated violence against Jewish services in London.
West’s track record speaks for itself. He’s released a song titled “Heil Hitler,” called himself a Nazi publicly, sold merchandise featuring swastikas, and repeatedly aligned himself with extremist commentator Nick Fuentes, including at a 2022 dinner with Donald Trump.
He’d previously apologized in 2023, but then went on to release more antisemitic content afterward, which raises serious questions about the sincerity of his contrition.
The timing couldn’t be worse. The Union of Jewish Students reported in March that antisemitism has become normalized on UK university campuses.
Two men were arrested in connection with a suspected arson attack on ambulances operated by a north London Jewish charity just last week.
The Manchester synagogue attack in October killed multiple people and sparked a wave of hate incidents across the country.
Festival Republic, the company running Wireless as part of Live Nation, offered no comment when contacted about the booking.
The consequences on West’s career have been real.
Adidas ended its partnership with him in 2022 over his antisemitic remarks. Australia barred him from entry in 2025 after the “Heil Hitler” release.
Despite all of the controversy, Kanye remains incredibly popular.
His 12th album, Bully, dropped last week, reportedly hit 33 million Spotify streams in its first 24 hours and is expected to move 250,000–275,000 units in its first week.