London’s Wireless Festival has been axed after British officials denied an entry visa to rap mogul Kanye West, who was set to be the event’s headliner, according to reports.
The festival posted a message to its website reading, “As a result of the Home Office denying YE entry into the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival is cancelled.”
Festival planners added that “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had,” Variety reported.
The statement continued: “As Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the UK.”
The festival has faced criticism in the UK since it announced that West was invited to be the event’s headliner and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke out against West within days after the plans were announced.
Britain’s Home Office reported that West had applied for a temporary visa on Monday, but by Tuesday the government had decided to deny his application on the grounds that his visit to London would not be conducive to the public good.
West has been the focus of criticism for years for a series of antisemitic statements and other racist antics. However, he has since apologized for his behavior, opened a dialog with Jewish groups, and said he was suffering from mental illness.
On Tuesday, West said he “would be grateful” to meet members of the Jewish community in the UK in person “to listen” after some objected to his inclusion in the festival.
“I know words aren’t enough,” he continued, adding, “I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
Despite his outreach, several Jewish groups in the UK praised the government’s decision to bar West from entry.
The Community Security Trust (CST) said the government’s decision to bar West is “a sensible outcome to what has been yet another bruising episode for British Jews,” the BBC reported.
“Anti-Jewish hatred should have no place in society and cultural leaders have a role to play in ensuring that is the case,” the group added.
“People who show genuine and meaningful remorse for previous antisemitic behavior will always receive a sympathetic hearing from the Jewish community, but that process must come before this kind of public rehabilitation,” they concluded.
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