Keir Starmer: “Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless”
Keir Starmer has said that Kanye West “should never have been invited” to headline Wireless, after he was banned from the UK and the festival subsequently cancelled.
The Prime Minister took to social media on April 7th after his government took the action to ban the rapper from the country due to his antisemitic history, thus putting a stop to his three planned nights at the Finsbury Park festival this July.
Starmer wrote: “Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless. This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism.”
He added: “We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values.”
West has previously expressed extensive antisemitic statements, including proclaiming himself to be a Nazi, selling T-shirts with Swastikas, and releasing a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ last year.
It comes after the Prime Minister recently told The Sun on Sunday that it was “deeply concerning” that West had been booked to play Wireless in the first place, with a political uproar then ensuing, urging the government to ban him from the country.
BBC News reported that West had applied for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which was initially granted but then turned down by the Home Office, as it was deemed that his presence in the UK was not “conducive to the public good”.
This resulted in the entirety of Wireless Festival being cancelled, with refunds being issued to ticketholders. In a statement, they said: “The Home Office has withdrawn YE’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom. As a result, Wireless Festival is cancelled and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders. As with every Wireless Festival, multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking YE and no concerns were highlighted at the time.”
They added: “Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognise the real and personal impact these issues have had. 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.”
West had earlier released a statement titled “To Those I’ve Hurt”, saying he would like to meet Jewish communities in London. He said: “I would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in London in person, to listen. I know words aren’t enough. I’ll have to show change through my actions. If you’re open, I’m here.”
The rapper has not yet made any public comment on being banned from the UK and Wireless being cancelled at this time.
However, he has been widely condemned by charities, including the Campaign Against Antisemitism, who said in response to the government blocking his entry to the UK: “The Government has clearly made the right decision here. For once, when it said that antisemitism has no place in the UK, it backed up its words with action.”
They added: “Someone who has boasted of making tens of millions of dollars from selling swastika t-shirts and who released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ just months ago clearly would not be conducive to the public good in the UK. Wireless Festival, in its desperate quest for profit, defended the invitation until the end. That is shameful, and its sponsors should continue to stay away.”
Prior to the festival being cancelled, a number of its sponsors had already withdrawn their support, including Pepsi, Diageo, PayPal, and Rockstar Energy.
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