The Italian government is facing calls from trade unions, politicians and more to cancel Kanye West’s forthcoming appearance at the Hellwatt Festival.
West, 48, is attempting to bring his comeback tour to Europe, but the effort has so far been derailed, with countries including the U.K., France and Poland blocking his performances amid backlash over past antisemitic remarks.
The “All Falls Down” rapper is scheduled to headline the Reggio Emilia music festival July 18, though growing opposition is urging officials to axe the concert.
“The United Kingdom denied the visa. France effectively prevented the Marseille concert,” Pina Picierno, the vice president of the European Parliament and a senior member of Italy’s Democratic Party, told local newspaper La Gazzetta di Reggio. “Italy, meanwhile, is just staying idle with 68,000 tickets sold, as if nothing had happened.”
Rosamaria Papaleo, a representative of the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Unions in Emilia-Romagna, added in a statement to CBS News: “It seems quite contradictory that an artist known for his antisemitic remarks can be hosted by our city, which has always strongly advocated anti-fascist values. Anti-fascism for us is not a whim, but a value rooted in our history.”
Papaleo clarified, however, that while the union does not wish to disrupt the festival — an important event for employees and attendees — it expects artists to be held to standards that promote positive values.
The union has asked Reggio Emilia’s mayor, Marco Massari, to require West to meet with members of the area’s Jewish population as a symbolic act of reconciliation for his past harmful comments, according to CBS News.
Massari has said in a statement that he “distances himself from Kanye West’s behavior and remarks,” but noted that the decision to allow the rapper into the country rests with the national government.
The Independent has contacted West’s representative for comment.
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Despite the uproar, Victor Yari Milani, the founder and artistic director of the Hellwatt Festival, has defended booking West — now known as Ye — calling the festival “a space for free artistic expression.”
“The artist’s past comments have certainly provoked a legitimate reaction,” he said in a statement to Italian news agency ANSA, “but we also want to remember that Ye formally apologized through the Wall Street Journal in January, stating that he is not a Nazi or antisemite but suffers from bipolar disorder.”
In January, West took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal apologizing for years of offensive outbursts, blaming a brain injury for his erratic behavior.
The disgraced superstar claimed that neurological damage caused by a near-fatal 2002 car crash was responsible for his concerning behavior in recent years, which has included public antisemitic rants. He said that he believes his brain injury also added to his struggle with bipolar disorder, which he was diagnosed with in 2016.
He went on to say that he regrets the things he said and did while spiraling during his manic episodes, writing that he “lost touch with reality” and “gravitated toward the most destructive symbol I could find, the swastika, and even sold T-shirts bearing it.”
After Italy, West’s European tour has four stops that remain scheduled: Turkey, the Netherlands, Madrid, and Portugal.
