Kanye West has been linked to what authorities in New York are calling an antisemitic attack on an elderly Jewish man in Central Park earlier this week.
According to the New York Post, the 63-year-old man was attacked while strolling through the park on Wednesday (December 14). Authorities say the assailant made several antisemitic statements before yelling out “Kanye 2024” and walking off.
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The victim was taken to an area hospital, where he was treated for a chipped tooth and a broken hand.
The attacker was apparently referencing Ye’s November announcement that he would be running for president in the upcoming election. After kickstarting his campaign with a new $20 clothing line, West asked former president Donald Trump, who had also announced his own bid for the presidency days earlier, to be his running mate.
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This is not the first time Kanye West’s name has been used by others to support their antisemitic beliefs. In October, a group called the Goyim Defense League staged a protest in Los Angeles by hanging multiple signs from a freeway overpass. One sign read, “Kanye is right about the Jews.”
The following week, the same message was displayed on an electronic video board at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida following a game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia.
Despite apologizing for previous antisemitic statements back in October, Kanye West has been criticized for weeks over a fresh spate of antisemitic remarks. The embattled rapper most recently doubled down on his love of Adolf Hitler during an interview with Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes in Los Angeles.
“So, you love Jews, but you’re canceled for antisemitism because you also love Hitler, but you love everyone equally,” McInnes said.
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“Yeah, Jewish people can’t tell me who I can love and who I can’t love,” Ye replied. “You can’t force your pain on everyone else. Jewish people, forgive Hitler today. Let it go, let it go, and stop trying to force it on other people. Goodnight.”
The comments came shortly after Ye praised Hitler and Nazis in a separate interview with far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Earlier this month Kanye West was named “Antisemite Of The Year” by the American non-profit watchdog group StopAntisemitism.org.
The group made the announcement in a video congratulating Ye for “propagating the most Jew hatred in 2022.” The clip cited examples of Kanye West’s offences including the infamous “death con 3” tweet that led to his first Twitter suspension, and highlighted interviews as examples of Ye “referencing antisemitic tropes of Jewish greed and obsessions of money.”
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“Kanye uses his celebrity platform to push dangerous antisemitic tropes about Jews and power and he refuses to stop,” he group’s Executive Director Liora Rez told TMZ. “His continuous onslaught of bigoted statements has resulted in horrific antisemitic acts perpetrated by white supremacists, Black Hebrew Israelites, and other fringe groups looking to cause Jews harm.
