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Music festival under pressure to drop rapper Wiley over his history of hate rants

Wiley is among 180 artists set to perform at the New World Fest in Chelmsford on Saturday

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LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 06: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Wiley performs on the main stage on Day 1 of Wireless Festival 2018 at Finsbury Park on July 6, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tabatha Fireman/Getty Images)

The organisers of an upcoming music festival are under pressure to drop Wiley from their lineup over the grime artist’s previous antisemitic posts. 

Wiley is among more than 180 artists  set to perform at the New World Fest in Chelmsford on Saturday.

He was banned from several social media sites last year over a series of antisemitic posts including a tweet comparing Jewish people to the Ku Klux Klan.

Wiley’s manager, John Woolf, “cut all ties” with him over his social media activity. 

The rapper denied racism accusations but apologised for “generalising” in remarks about Jewish people. 

Campaign Against Antisemitism called on New World Fest organisers to drop Wiley from their line-up and explain how he “came to be invited in the first place.” 

A spokesperson said it was “extraordinary  that a festival would think it appropriate to try to rehabilitate” Wiley. 

“One wonders whether a musician who had targeted another minority would have been feted in this way,” the charity said .

Wiley released his latest album, Anti-Systemic, on Friday. He has an average of close to 2.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

New World Fest was approached for comment.

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