The Netherlands’ National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam has rejected a visit from disgraced rapper Kanye West over his history of antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments.
West, now known by the mononym ‘Ye’, has previously identified himself as a “Nazi”, been pictured in a t-shirt emblazoned with a swastika and praised the leader of the Third Reich, as well as making a slew of antisemitic comments online.
And, last year, he released the music video for his offensive new single, featuring a group of African-American men draped in animal skins and standing in military-style rank formation.
West, providing a musical voiceover, repeats a number of lyrics, including “they don’t understand the things I say on Twitter, all my n****** Nazis, n***** Heil Hitler”.
After each bar, the group of men repeats the chorus: “N***** Heil Hitler, n***** Heil Hitler, all my n****** Nazis, n***** Heil Hitler.”
He subsequently apologised and blamed his behaviour on mental illness caused by a previous head injury.
The rapper is currently partway through a European tour and performed in Arnhem, around an hour from Amsterdam, on Saturday night – his first gig in the Netherlands since 2013.
Ahead of the event, Arnhem Mayor Ahmed Marcouch invited West to visit the National Holocaust Museum and lay a wreath at is Names Monument with the Dutch chief rabbi.
While he had not publicly responded to the invitation, the museum itself put out a statement saying he would not be allowed to visit, adding that it had been “unpleasantly surprised” by Marcouch’s announcement.
"This has an unwanted impact on other visitors and also raises concerns about the integrity of this place of remembrance,” said a spokesperson for the Jewish Cultural Quarter and the National Holocaust Museum.
They added that the museum did not wish to be a “stage” for “[improving] an image damaged by antisemitic statements”, saying: “A visit to the museum alone is not enough to change those views. Unfortunately, more is needed.”
Marcouch later walked back on the invitation, saying there was no “concrete plan” for a visit to take place and that the idea had “come up in discussions about what you could do”.
The Arnhem concert, which drew a crowd of around 40,000 according to local media, passed largely without incident.
However, three people were reportedly removed from the crowd after holding signs “promoting conspiracy theories about the Holocaust”. Two people were also arrested on suspicion of disturbing public order, though authorities confirmed they were not demonstrators and it is not known whether the incidents are connected.
A second concert is scheduled in the city for Monday. The Centraal Joods Overleg, an umbrella organisation for Dutch Jewish groups, had applied for an injunction to prevent this leg of the tour, but a court ruled prior to West’s arrival that he could not be barred from entering the country.
It comes after the rapper was prevented from coming to the UK after being announced as a headliner for London’s Wireless Festival when the Home Office withdrew his visa on the grounds that “his presence would not be conducive to the public good”.
The festival was ultimately cancelled after West’s permission to travel was withdrawn.
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