Antisemitism campaign groups warn Kanye West’s “dangerous” Netherlands concert is “wrong and premature”
Two leading charities campaigning against antisemitism have warned against Kanye West‘s plans to stage a European comeback concert in the Netherlands.
West announced on February 10th that he is set to return to Europe for the first time in 12 years this summer to perform a show at the GelreDome in Arnhem, the Netherlands, on June 6th.
It comes after he previously placed a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal at the end of last month, attempting to apologise for his historic antisemitic remarks over the past number of years by saying he “lost touch with reality” and “loves Jewish people”.
Despite this, the rapper’s decision to stage his first European concert in over a decade at the 34,000-capacity stadium in Holland has sparked outcry from leading charities that fight against antisemitism.
Speaking exclusively to Far Out, CIDI – a leading charity against antisemitism in Holland – said it was “deeply worried” about West’s scheduled concert, noting that his “recent expressions of regret do not change the nature or the gravity of what he has done”.
Naomi Mestrum, the director of CIDI, referenced the rapper’s previous praise of Nazi ideologies and figures such as Adolf Hitler as “not controversial opinions that can be walked back – they are acts that carry an unmistakable historical and moral meaning”.
To this end, she said the decision to platform West at the GelreDome was “dangerous” as the concert “rehabilitates, it legitimises, and it sends a message about what Dutch society is willing to tolerate”.
There is also the heightened threat of the rapper’s popularity among young people, according to Mestrum, who concluded: “At a time of rising antisemitism, this normalisation has real-world consequences for Jewish communities in Dutch society. They experience it not as abstract controversy, but as a direct threat to their safety and sense of belonging in public life. Some lines, once crossed, cannot be erased by apologies alone”.
It comes after West’s attempted apologies to both the Jewish and Black communities through The Wall Street Journal, on top of the fact that he is slated to release his latest album, Bully, on March 20th. He later claimed to Vanity Fair that his apology was not made for commercial reasons.
Although he has only announced one European date thus far, speculation is mounting on social media that West could be set to reveal further dates across the continent, prompting further anger among non-antisemitism charities outside the Netherlands.
To this end, a spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism, based in the UK, also told Far Out: “Kanye West has dedicated years of his life to trying to incite his followers to hate Jews. Every now and again, he has apologised, as he did recently, but he keeps reverting to form and spewing hatred again. He has more followers than there are Jews on Earth, so his incitement has a huge impact. If his apology is heartfelt this time, we’d like to see him prove it by using his platform to renounce to his followers the various conspiracy theories, Hitler worship, and bigoted lies that he has been peddling.”
They continued: “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.”
West previously attributed his actions to a brain injury and bipolar disorder, saying in his recent open letter advertisement: “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.”
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