Campaign Against Antisemitsm condemns Wireless Festival for booking Kanye West
A leading UK charity campaigning against antisemitism has condemned Kanye West being given the headline slot at Wireless Festival.
The festival announced on March 30th that West is set to be its headline act for all three nights of its run at Finsbury Park in London this year, taking place from July 10th to 12th.
The shows will mark West’s first live appearances in the country in 11 years, alongside a new European tour where he will visit the Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal this summer.
However, the announcement of West headlining the major London festival has sparked controversy in light of his history of antisemitic comments and actions.
In 2025, he wrote, among other comments, on X: “I’m a Nazi… I love Hitler”. West also released a song titled ‘Heil Hitler’.
As such, in response to the rapper being given such a significant platform, the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), the UK’s leading charity fighting antisemitism, has condemned the move in exclusive comments made to Far Out.
A spokesperson for the charity said, “Kanye West has dedicated years of his life to trying to incite his followers to hate Jews. He has more followers than there are Jews on Earth, so his incitement has a huge impact. His cycle of apology and relapse has become a routine, so as with any addict once again we must wait to see if this time is any different.”
They continued: “What is notable is that the latest apology came on the eve of the release of a new album,” referring to the full-page spread West took out in The Wall Street Journal in January, apologising for his actions, blaming them on a brain injury and bipolar.
West wrote in his apology, “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.”
He subsequently released his new album Bully on March 27th, although he claimed to Vanity Fair at the time of the release of the advertisement that it was not made for commercial purposes.
In terms of West’s appearance at Wireless, CAA added in its statement to Far Out: “It is disappointing that venues have been so quick to invite someone who was so recently peddled conspiracy theories, Hitler worship and bigoted lies – including now one of the UK’s biggest festival stages. If he remains on the right path and makes more effort to make amends, that is well and good, but if he returns to his old ways these venues will have much to answer for.”
When news of West’s show in Arnhem, the Netherlands, was previously revealed as his first European gig, CAA and the Dutch charity CIDI told Far Out that it was “wrong and premature” for the rapper to perform there given his antisemitic history.
CAA said at the time of the prior announcement: “Time will tell whether he is really turning a corner, learning from his mistakes, making an effort to learn about antisemitism and the impact that his behaviour has had, and start using his global platform to spread this awareness. Until then, words are cheap, and it feels wrong and premature for him to be performing right now.”
Pepsi UK, the main sponsor of the festival, has also commented on the festival’s Instagram announcement post, seemingly celebrating the announcement, writing: “What’s better than one night? Three,” along with a shaking hands emoji.
Far Out has contacted Pepsi UK regarding its stance on West and its sponsorship of Wireless Festival, and also put CAA’s remarks to the organisers of Wireless Festival, but they did not immediately respond to the request for comment.
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