A Dutch watchdog fighting antisemitism has expressed hope that the country will follow the example of the UK by banning Kanye West from entering the Netherlands ahead of two planned concerts this summer.
The controversial rapper, who goes by Ye and has made numerous antisemitic statements in recent years, including declaring himself a Nazi, is scheduled to play at the GelreDome stadium in the city of Anhem on June 6 and 8.
He was recently unveiled as the headline act for July’s Wireless Festival, in north London, where he was due to perform on all three nights, but the booking was subject to a major backlash, with Jewish groups and politicians calling for the government to ban West from entering the country.
On Tuesday, the Home Office announced that it had refused West permission to enter the UK on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good, and Wireless organisers said that the festival – from which several major sponsors had withdrawn support – had been cancelled.
On Wednesday, Dutch asylum and migration minister Bart van den Brink, told the news agency AFP that he was unaware of any ban to prevent the performer from travelling to the Netherlands, prompting an antisemitism watchdog to call on the government to consider such a move.
“I think he should not receive a platform and that the UK reacted correctly and took good measures on Ye, a rapper who’s made many antisemitic statements, praises Nazism,” Naomi Mestrum, director of the Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI), said.
Referring to the apologies West has issued in the wake of his outbursts and behaviour, Mestrum said: “The ignominy he generated looms so much larger than his saying ‘I’m sorry.’”
Tijs van den Brink, a lawmaker for the Christian Democratic Appeal, a centrist party and member of the governing coalition, told Dutch chat show PowNews: “I think it would be better if he is kept away,” adding: “Right now, antisemitism is rising in the Netherlands, and it’s very inhospitable for Jews at times. So we need to do our best to keep such people out for now.”
West has attributed his antisemitic behaviour it to his bipolar disorder, which he believes was caused by damage he sustained to his brain's frontal lobe during a 2002 car accident.
In January, he said in a statement: “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
Additional reporting by Katie Grant
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